History
Slovenian Workmen’s Home
- 1914 – First meetings for the establishment of the hall
- Building was delayed as there was no agreement as to the location – Waterloo Rd or Holmes Ave.
- May 3, 1916 – formation of the committee to create the new home.
- November 1916 – delegates from the different lodges and clubs meet.
- August 1917 – first step to build the home was to raise $10,000
- 1917 – Committee organized a daily Slovenian newspaper, Enakopravnost, to help promote the building of national homes. Favored the Waterloo site.
- January 26, 1919 – Singing Society SOCA held a meeting and announced they preferred the Holmes Avenue site.
- Split of the two sides and each would build their own hall
- 1920 – Lodges formed the Waterloo Club and began raising money for construction.
- August 5, 1925 – Plans to start building
Total Cost – $86,700 ($1.35 million in 2021)
Active from 1911 – 1954
Member of the City Planning Commission 1922-1927
Architect with Cleveland Transit System during WWII
May 31, 1926 – Groundbreaking
July 25, 1926 – Laying of cornerstone
January 1, 1927 – Grand Opening
Architect Alexander C. Wolf - 1935 – Addition of Public Bar Room
- 1939 – Addition of Bowling Alleys
• Architect Harry B. Hoener
• Dedicated September 16-17, 1939 - 1945 – Ladies of the Progressive Slovene Women of America Circle. No. 1 helped with the installation of the monument honoring the deceased war veterans
- 1973 – Purchased the property next door to tear down the house for parking.
- 1947 – Addition of second story to 1935 addition
• Architects Paul Matzinger and Rudolph Grosel
• Croatian Liberty Home (1949) - 1958 – Storefront plate glass removed and replaced with glass block and brick face in tavern only
- 1977 – Alteration to west storefront to match
- 1980s – Murals in windows added
- 2014 – Removal of glass block for new storefront windows
