In 1926, the Polish Community of San
Francisco converted a church on 22nd
and Shotwell Streets and opened
its doors as the Polish
Club
of San
Francisco, referred to today as "Dom
Polski," or Polish Home. It is
a community center in the Mission District
in San Francisco, California, USA.
Before the Polish Club was created,
Polish
organizations in northern California
held meetings in private
homes or in spaces rented from other
organizations. The oldest Polish group,
the Polish Society of California, rented
office space at 273 Golden Gate Avenue
in San Francisco. The most prominent
Polish organizations (The Polish Society
of California, the St. Stanislaus Society,
and the Literary and Dramatic Society)
joined together to create the Polish
Club community center to preserve
and share Polish culture.
The first written documents discussing
the creation of a Polish club can be
found in manuscripts of the board meetings
of the Polish Society of California.
They are written in Polish and are
located in the Polish Club’s library.
On August 2, 1925, during a board meeting
of the Polish Society of California,
the invited representative of the Literary
and Dramatic Society, Miss Wyrozynska,
proposed that a new Polish Club Committee
be created. Subsequently Mr. Tomaszewski
of the Polish Society of California
proposed the rules for the establishment
of support committees. Both organizations
were to initiate their own Polish Club
committees within their own structures
that would independently raise funds
towards a mutual goal -- The Polish
Club. After this meeting both committees
worked at full speed, and soon after
a third committee was initiated within
the St. Stanislaus Society.
The first joint meeting of all three
committees was held at the end of October
1925. During this meeting it was decided
that each society should elect five
members to the Joint Committee. Participants
formulated the initial rules which
declared that the joint committee would
elect its own board and have its own
bank account. In the meantime a fundraising
campaign for the club was in full swing.
It was run simultaneously and independently
by all three committees. The most important
element of this campaign included participation
in the San Francisco Parade which was
attended by numerous Polish-Americans
from all over California.
During this campaign a very interesting
division of responsibilities emerged
among all the committees. Two insurance
companies: The Polish Society of California
and the St. Stanislaus Society became
financial pillars of the Polish Club
due to their business skills, whereas
the relatively new non-profit Literary
and Dramatic Society became the spiritual
engine and the soul of the whole campaign.
Fundraising efforts were cooperative.
At the end of winter, on March 29,
1926, funds were sufficient to purchase
a building. The committees authorized
the purchase of a former chuch at 3040
22nd Street in the then-elegant Mission
District of San Francisco. The proposal
to purchase the building was adopted
and the final rules were set. It was
decided that these particular societies
in San Francisco choose from their
membership directors to the board of
the Polish Club. Two Societies, the
Polish Society of California and the
St. Stanislaus Society, proposed six
directors each since both contributed
$3,000 to the purchase of the club;
the third Society, the Literary and
Dramatic Society, though unable to
support the club financially, represented
a large number of Poles, and as such
contributed three directors. Following
these guidelines the first board of
the Polish Club was formed.
Formal purchase of the building on
3040 22nd Street was transacted on
April 19, 1926 for the sum of $5,000.
Soon after the building was insured
and remodeling began. First, the library
of the Polish Society of California
was moved to the new location on the
first floor. It was decided that all
three societies would pay $5.00 for
the daily use of the club for their
meetings. The first recorded meeting
was held on Shotwell Street on October
1, 1926. This was a meeting of the
Polish Society of California. Among
other declarations it was decided that
the library would be accessible to
and open to all members of the societies
of the Polish Club. This decision was
one of the first declarations of the
Polish Club and closes one of the most
interesting events of Polish history
in California.
The most active workers in Polish
organizations after World War I were
Stanisław A. Blonski, Paweł Brzuza,
Feliz Gottlicher, Henryk Piatkiewicz,
Lucyan Markiewicz, E. Potasz, and Florian
and Jozefa Nilkasiewicz. Later Michael
Maslach, Katarzyna Pich, Albin Isaeff,
and Victor Wielgosz arrived.
After Poland obtained its independence
the Polish community in San Francisco
collected funds that were sent to the "Old
Country.” This was a way that members
helped the country of their origin.
The year 1926 was a turning point
in the life of Polish organizations
in San Francisco, i.e., the year that
the Polish community established its
own home at 3040 22nd Street. With
the club as its focal point the Polish
community was very active. Under the
direction of Mrs. Jozefa Niklasiewicz,
a Literary and Dramatic Society was
organized and there was cooperation
with other national groups. The Polish
community took an active interest in
the opening of the Bay Bridge for which
Ralph Modjeski (born Rudolf Modrzejewski)
was consulting engineer. Articles with
Polish themes were frequently seen
in local newspapers.
Jacek Purat: The 65th Anniversary
of the Polish Club in San Francisco
and Halina Grochowska-Jimenez
The Club’s main purpose was, and is,
to serve as a center for the preservation
and propagation of Polish culture, art,
language and
community and to be a focal point for
Polish organizations
in northern California.
