Ukrainian Americans in New York City
Encyclopedia
Ukrainian Americans have been present in New York City
as early as the 17th century when the city was called New Amsterdam
. However, first Ukrainian mass immigration wave to New York City occurred during 1870-1899, coinciding with other mass European influxes into the city. Traditional Ukrainian area in New York City is Little Ukraine, located within the East Village neighborhood
in the borough of Manhattan
. Ukrainian population of Little Ukraine topped around 60,000 residents after World War II, which dwindled subsequently. Today about a third of approximately 80,000 Ukrainian Americans living in New York City are residing in Little Ukraine which is bound by Houston and 14th Street, and Third Avenue and Avenue A. The area is sometimes also referred to as Ukrainian Village. Annual Ukrainian Festival takes place on the weekend closest to May 17 on the 7th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue. The festival also borders Taras Shevchenko Place, a small street connecting East 6th and East 7th Streets, named after Taras Shevchenko
, a renown Ukrainian poet, artist and humanist.
Ukrainian National Women's League of America
was established in New York City in 1925, promoting specifically arts and culture, among other activities. The UNWLA organized folk art exhibitions in New York City and elsewhere in the United States. In 1976 their activities culminated with the founding of The Ukrainian Museum
that included permanent exhibitions. The museum was hailed as one of the finest achievements of the Ukrainian American community.
Shevchenko Scientific Society
established its branch and United States headquarters in 1947 in New York City. It is a respectable institution dedicated to scholarly research and public service. Its international membership body included such renown former members as Albert Einstein
and Max Planck
. The society is located at 63 Fourth Avenue.
In 1948 a prominent Ukrainian immigrant New-Yorker, William Dzus
, self-made millionaire, inventor and owner of Dzus Fastener Company, founded the Ukrainian Institute of America. William Dzus came to America with $25 in his pockets and worked his way up from the very bottom, epitomizing the American success story for the Ukrainian community. Dzus charitable contributions to his community culminated with the purchase of the famous Harry F. Sinclair House
for the use of the institute, which became central to Ukrainian American educational, scientific, cultural and humanitarian life in New York City.
Community further expanded its scientific and cultural contribution to the city life in 1950 by establishing The Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences, which essentially became an Academy of Sciences-in-exile, following occupation of Ukraine by the Soviet Union. It houses most extensive archives on Ukrainian history outside Ukraine. The academy is closely linked with Columbia University
where part of its archives are stored in the Division of Rare Books and Manuscripts. The academy is located at 206 West 100th Street in a designated landmark building.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as early as the 17th century when the city was called New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland. It later became New York City....
. However, first Ukrainian mass immigration wave to New York City occurred during 1870-1899, coinciding with other mass European influxes into the city. Traditional Ukrainian area in New York City is Little Ukraine, located within the East Village neighborhood
East Village, Manhattan
The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
in the borough of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Ukrainian population of Little Ukraine topped around 60,000 residents after World War II, which dwindled subsequently. Today about a third of approximately 80,000 Ukrainian Americans living in New York City are residing in Little Ukraine which is bound by Houston and 14th Street, and Third Avenue and Avenue A. The area is sometimes also referred to as Ukrainian Village. Annual Ukrainian Festival takes place on the weekend closest to May 17 on the 7th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue. The festival also borders Taras Shevchenko Place, a small street connecting East 6th and East 7th Streets, named after Taras Shevchenko
Taras Shevchenko
Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko -Life:Born into a serf family of Hryhoriy Ivanovych Shevchenko and Kateryna Yakymivna Shevchenko in the village of Moryntsi, of Kiev Governorate of the Russian Empire Shevchenko was orphaned at the age of eleven...
, a renown Ukrainian poet, artist and humanist.
History
Religious practices played an important role for early Ukrainian immigrants in New York City, first Ukrainian rite liturgy took place on October 10, 1890 and 15 years later St. George's Ukrainian Catholic Church was established.Ukrainian National Women's League of America
Ukrainian National Women's League of America
The Ukrainian National Women's League of America is a charitable and cultural organization that unites women of Ukrainian descent as well as those who are active in the Ukrainian communities of the United States...
was established in New York City in 1925, promoting specifically arts and culture, among other activities. The UNWLA organized folk art exhibitions in New York City and elsewhere in the United States. In 1976 their activities culminated with the founding of The Ukrainian Museum
The Ukrainian Museum
The Ukrainian Museum, founded in 1976 by the Ukrainian National Women's League of America , is located at 222 East 6th Street between Second Avenue and Cooper Square in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, an claims to be the largest American museum dedicated to the cultural...
that included permanent exhibitions. The museum was hailed as one of the finest achievements of the Ukrainian American community.
Shevchenko Scientific Society
Shevchenko Scientific Society
The Shevchenko Scientific Society is a Ukrainian scientific society devoted to the promotion of scholarly research and publication. Unlike the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine the society is a public organization that was reestablished in Ukraine in 1989 after almost 50 years of exile...
established its branch and United States headquarters in 1947 in New York City. It is a respectable institution dedicated to scholarly research and public service. Its international membership body included such renown former members as Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
and Max Planck
Max Planck
Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck, ForMemRS, was a German physicist who actualized the quantum physics, initiating a revolution in natural science and philosophy. He is regarded as the founder of the quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918.-Life and career:Planck came...
. The society is located at 63 Fourth Avenue.
In 1948 a prominent Ukrainian immigrant New-Yorker, William Dzus
Volodymyr Dzhus
William Dzus William Dzus William Dzus (b.1895 in Ukraine - d.1964 in New York, born Volodymyr Dzus or Dzhus (uk:Володимир Джусь) was an American engineer of Ukrainian descent, and the inventor of the Dzus fastener, also known as the quarter-turn fastener. He was also one of the founders of the...
, self-made millionaire, inventor and owner of Dzus Fastener Company, founded the Ukrainian Institute of America. William Dzus came to America with $25 in his pockets and worked his way up from the very bottom, epitomizing the American success story for the Ukrainian community. Dzus charitable contributions to his community culminated with the purchase of the famous Harry F. Sinclair House
Harry F. Sinclair House
The Harry F. Sinclair House is a mansion at 2 East 79th Street at Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City that houses the Ukrainian Institute of America, which promotes art and literature by hosting exhibitions open to public, among other means.- History :...
for the use of the institute, which became central to Ukrainian American educational, scientific, cultural and humanitarian life in New York City.
Community further expanded its scientific and cultural contribution to the city life in 1950 by establishing The Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences, which essentially became an Academy of Sciences-in-exile, following occupation of Ukraine by the Soviet Union. It houses most extensive archives on Ukrainian history outside Ukraine. The academy is closely linked with Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
where part of its archives are stored in the Division of Rare Books and Manuscripts. The academy is located at 206 West 100th Street in a designated landmark building.