Bohemian National Hall

Bohemian National Hall (Czech: Česká národní budova) is five-story office building on the Upper East Side, Manhattan. The building was built between 1895 and 1897 in neo-Renaissance style by architect William C. Frohne. It was Czech American's social and culture centre in New York City. From the late 1930's to the 1980's it was rented out to various organizations. It was the original home of the Manhattan Theater Club.

In 2001, it was sold by the Bohemian Benevolent & Literary Association to the Czech government for $1. In return, the Czech government agreed to renovate the building. Its first use after the change of ownership came in 2005, when it served as a the venue for a celebration of the 70th birthday of Václav Havel, a kickoff event for Untitled Theater Company #61's Havel Festival. After a few more events, the Hall shut down for further renovation, reopening October 30, 2008.

Now the building is seat of the Czech Consulate, the New York Czech Center, the Bohemian Benevolent & Literary Society and the Dvorak American Heritage Association. In the building is also small cinema, an art gallery, a major ballroom/theater and a roof terrace. A Czech restaurant is also planned, but renovations on that have not yet finished.

External links

• Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association
• Consulate General of the Czech Republic in New York official site
• Czech Center official site
• Bohemian National Hall on nyc-architecture.com
• Bohemian National Hall on www.dvoraknyc.org
• Bohemian National Hall on aswoman.net
• Bohemian National Hall in The New York Times