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WHEREAS, Croatians started emigrating to the United States in 1715, but by the 20th century, the greatest concentration of Croats in the country were in the Greater Pittsburgh area; and,
WHEREAS, in 1905, Zlatko Kehrin and others started the Javor Singing Society as a way to honor their Croatian heritage in their new home; and,
WHEREAS, the Society grew rapidly in its early years, building support from within the Croatian community. In 1917, they purchased a building on Canal Street on Pittsburgh’s North Side, which became the Croatian National Hall Javor; and,
WHEREAS, during its long history, the Javor became a meeting place and community space for Pittsburgh’s Croatians until it was forced to relocate to its current location at 805 East Street in 1977 due to construction of the North Shore Expressway; and,
WHEREAS, Javor continues to be the center of Pittsburgh’s Croatian community and with the closure of St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church, is now the only standing Croatian establishment on the North Side, where the influence of Croatian culture is still visible today.
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby recognize and commend the Croatian National Hall Javor for preserving Croatian heritage and maintaining a community space for Pittsburgh’s Croatians for 110 years; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare Saturday, October 17th, 2015 to be "Croatian National Hall Javor Day" in the City of Pittsburgh.