Croatian Hall is the last of the South St. Paul social halls built by European immigrants in the early 20th Century and a project of the Hrvatski Dom Association.
Transcript
This is Minnesota's Legacy, a look at the organizations and the people who have benefited from Minnesota's Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.
Britt Aamodt: Tony Biljan’s grandfather came to Minnesota from Croatia.
Tony Biljan: It had to be early 1900s. He came with his brother and father, and what their purpose was for, that was to make some money and send back to the old country.
Britt Aamodt: They found jobs in South St Paul's stockyards district. Rail cars delivered livestock to pens, where the animals waited to be turned into steaks and ground meat at the nearby packing plant. In 1919, a second plant was added that same year. Biljan’s grandfather helped lay the foundation for Croatian Hall.
Tony Biljan: A gathering place for immigrants, for them to get together, share their culture. Some might have come over with little or no money, and so there was always some funds available.
Britt Aamodt: Over a century later, the stockyard district is gone, but Croatian Hall remains. Minnesota's Legacy Fund has made it possible to update this landmark’s bar and event spaces, and to carry on the tasty tradition of Croatian sarmas.
Tony Biljan: Basically, that's cabbage rolls. In fact, we've got an October picnic. We'll probably make six or 700 of them.
Minnesota's Legacy is produced by AMPERS with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Online at AMPERS dot ORG.