Proposed Site of a Ukrainian Village in Rochester, New York

According to James D Bratush, in his book Historical Documentary of the Ukrainian Community of Rochester, New York (pages 14-15), many locations for a Ukrainian Village were proposed, considered, then aborted. Each location had its advantages and disadvantages. The closest the community ever came to achieving their goal of building an immigrant colony was in the 1920s. The selected location was between North Goodman Street and Bennett Avenue, north of Dix Street.

Mr. Bratush writes “Messers. Haramsymchuk and Klymtziv inaugurated construction by each erecting a combination house and store. Later, a special hall was built, together with a picnic area. A branch of the Ukrainian National Association – the Taras Shevchenko Society – was organized and built its own meeting hall. About the same time the Ukrainian Youth Club and a Credit Union were organized. Shortly thereafter, there were about thirty homes built in the area by Ukrainian families and the neighborhood took on the aspect of a Ukrainian village.”

The first inhabitants of Rochester’s “Ukrainian Village” were:

Mr. Bratush continues, “Unfortunately, however, the Ukrainian settlement did not extend its growth very much further because it soon encroached upon the boundaries of the already flourishing Italian community. The Ukrainians were discouraged by that fact and soon gave up every effort to extend the colony beyond its original tiny nucleus of houses.”