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- A Brief History of Czechs in Cedar Rapids
The first Bohemians to Cedar Rapids arrived between 1852 and 1853. They settled in the current downtown area of Cedar Rapids, where everyone else was living. One of the first Czech organizations established was Sokol (est. 1873). The current building was built in 1908. Immigration was rather slow until 1871 when T. M. Sinclair built a meat packinghouse in Cedar Rapids. Originally located close to downtown (where the Science Station and IMAX are currently located), Sinclair moved his packinghouse to the then south end of the city after citizens mounted a protest to remove the packinghouse from the downtown area.
Bohemian immigration to Cedar Rapids increased due to employment opportunities at the packinghouse. Sinclair, an Irish immigrant himself, was not afraid to hire immigrant labor, knew the Bohemians were well educated and hard workers, and they arrived with the skills necessary to help his packinghouse become a successful meatpacking plants. As a result, Bohemian immigrants arrived, confident they would find stable employment, and Sinclair’s meat packinghouse went on to become one of the most successful plants in the world.
According to the information available, Sinclair did not recruit Bohemian immigrants to come to work for him in the packinghouse. To do so would have been a breech of labor union policies and Sinclair would have had difficulties with his employees. In all likelihood, Bohemian immigrants who worked at the packinghouse wrote to friends and family back home and told them about the employment opportunities here, perhaps offering to put in a good word with the foreman and help them secure a position at the packinghouse.
Additionally, research revealed that Sinclair did not "rent to own" the cottages across from St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church. Henry McCall was one of Sinclair’s most trusted employees. McCall followed Sinclair from Belfast, Ireland to New York City to Cedar Rapids. McCall and his three brothers purchased land from the Star Wagon Works Company and built the cottages between 1880 – 1885. All of the McCall brothers had a home for themselves, and three of them worked for Sinclair. The others were rented to recent immigrants, some of whom were Czech, some of whom worked at Sinclair’s Meatpacking Plant. Until recently, local residents believed that Sinclair built these houses for Czech immigrants who worked in his packinghouse. However, it now appears that Sinclair neither owned the properties, nor built the houses.
T. M. Sinclair died in his meatpacking plant during a routine inspection in 1881. He never recovered from his fall down an elevator shaft. Sinclair and his family lived among the Czech immigrants in a mansion on 6th Avenue SE. After his death, his widow Caroline built the mansion Fairhome, which is now known as Brucemore. The Sinclairs are now buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, in a plot that faces the packinghouse, among their immigrant neighbors from the lower southeast side of town.
After the packinghouse was up and running, Bohemian immigration skyrocketed. As a result, several businesses and organizations were established. Among the earliest ones were St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church (1874), the Czech School (1870), CSPS Hall (built in 1891), and ZCBJ (organized in 1897). There was a flurry of activity in this "second downtown" section of Cedar Rapids including: movie theatres, jewelry stores, butcher shops, grocery stores, embalmers, dry goods stores, a livery, taverns, and distinctive immigrant housing on small, narrow lots (the only place in town that has these unusual plot dimensions).
The Bohemian community did not occupy 16th Avenue SW until around 1900. The southwest side of town was a Russian, Italian, and Assyrian neighborhood (ever notice the Gatto Building or the Klinger Building?). But, with new opportunities opening up on the southwest side, the Bohemians expanded their neighborhood. Among the early Czech businesses established included a butcher shop, pharmacy, bakery, dry goods store, grocery store, and cigar factories. The Avenue saw tremendous change when the starch works factory opened in 1903. A flood of new jobs led to major investments on the Avenue, including larger buildings, a bank, and more retail spaces. Slowly, residential properties were torn down in favor of bigger commercial buildings. Today, only one house remains on the Avenue.
The neighborhood reached its peak in the 1940s. Since the mid-1970s, the once commonly spoken Czech is only heard occasionally. In the past, it was not only common to have a Czech speaking employee, it was almost a requirement. Much of the Czech flavor remains in both neighborhoods. On the east side of the river, the area including and surrounding 3rd Street SE is considered a historic commercial district, and there is renewed interest in preserving the Czech heritage in this part of the community.