Donations and
Fund Raising

C.S.P.S. Hall 125 annivesary

In 2012, we celebrate the 125th anniversary of beloved home and national treasure, the C.S.P.S. Hall. Please join us for regularly scheduled and special events on this occation.

Donations/contributions

Below you will find generous private and public organizations that share our dedication and have donated toward keeping the C.S.P.S. Hall viable for another 125 years. Please help us in our efforts, either with a contribution towards operational or capital expenses. So also, attend our events to see how we have been good stewards of both your contributions and our hall. We have no paid staff other than our teachers and maintenance staff, so many hours are dedicated to this work. Thank you. Send inquiries to finance@sokolmn.org.

Capital projects

Capital projects are funded and are being overseen by our Board of Trustees and the CSPS Hall Planning Task Force. All work is completed in compliance with strict government guidelines for our building’s status as an historic structure on the National Register! These projects are expensive. Since the start of our campaign, we have been fortunate to have the support of several funding organizations that helped make our projects possible. We are grateful to all these organizations for their assistance.

National Park Service "Save America's Treasures" $150,000
 (must be matched!)

SAT logoLeading up to this special year, we have begun to raise funding that the hall continue to serve for another 125 years! Projects include upgrade of our HVAC (heating ventilation air conditioning) systems with support from the National Park Service "Saving America's Treasures" 2011 federal appropriation of $150,000. For this we are appreciative of our Congressional Representative of Minnesota's Fourth District, Betty McCollum. Included in the HVAC are upgrade of our heating system (underway) and installation of air conditioning (in planning). Also included is a fire protection sprinkling system!

We are saddened and concerned by the recent losses due to fire of national halls: the Swedish Gustavus Adolphus Hall (1924) burned down in 2004, the Danish Dania Hall (1886) burned in 2000, as well as the historic Wilson Czech Opera Hall (Sokol 1901) in Wilson, Kansas, burned in 2009. In addition, many midwest Sokol halls have burned in the past years, including the 1896 Sokol Dodge (burned 1939), 1896 Sokol Little Ferry (burned 1911), the 1912 Karel Havlicek-Burovsky, (burned 1912 and 1990), the 1895 Sokol Milwaukee (burned 1969), Sokol Cesk Amerika, Sokol Melnik (burned 1942), the 1894 Sokol Praha-Town of Lake (burned 1900), the 1911 Sokol Havlicek Tyrs (burned 1974), Sokol in Chicago (burned 1892), Sokol Denham, 1909 Sokol Fugner-Tyrs (burned 1975) and the 1891 Sokol Crete (burned 1912).

CSPS Sokol Hall: $80,000
Partners in Preservation

pipAmerican Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced that the C.S.P.S. Sokol Hall has been awarded “$80,000 to install an air conditioning system in the second floor auditorium, which will allow the space to be used for public events year-round.” Sokol cannot begin to express appreciation for all the Sokol brothers and sisters, Czechs and Slovaks, West Enders, family friends, friends of friends, sympathetic strangers, and an email list numbering over 2500 global voters. Not bad for an organization of 300 with no Facebook presence before this began! Sokol was one of 25 historic and culturally significant metro sites selected and came in 3rd overall in the voting. Specific criteria were used in the final allocation of project funding, including public voting results and community support for the project, the preservation needs of the site, historic significance and the role the site plays in the community. On behalf of Sokol Minnesota, thank you thank you thank you thank…..

City of Saint Paul Capital Star Grants, $62,400
Office upgrade, fire protection and office, and architect study.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, $22,000

Minnesota Historical Society State Grants-in-Aid program, $13,000

Minnesota Historical and Legacy Grants, $17,000
HVAC study and floor repair.

Johanna Favrot Fund for Historic Preservation $5,000
HHistoric Structures Report

MacDonald & Mack Architects, Ltd. $5,000
Historic Structures Report