Trustees Honor Roll

Slovenian American Institution (1919)
Inducted on: November 26, 1994

The breeding ground of Johnny Pecon, Frank Yankovic and the Habat Family, Collinwood Slovenian Home has been a bastion of Cleveland-Style polka activity. As Cleveland’s Slovenian population migrated from the St. Clair neighborhood to the railroad yards and suburban atmosphere of the Collinwood enclave, the need arose for a new cultural oasis. Fifty-six stockholders raised $1,320 and a community brick-hauling brigade was enlisted to build Cleve-land’s first all-new Slovenian home. The facility featured a hall with a stage for plays and concerts; another for weddings, dances and banquets; and a club room, ideally suited for transacting business in a social setting. Out of funds in 1929 and forced to add to its mortgage, Collinwood Home survived the Great Depression, retired all debt by 1948, and has since been regularly renovated. The home celebrates its past every August at its annual Homecoming Day.