Please note: The Cultural Center is currently undergoing renovations. To keep our members safe, the Center is closed to visitors.
A History of the Carpatho-Rusyn Cultural Center
The Carpatho-Rusyn Cultural and Educational Center is located on the corner of 10th and Dickson Streets in Munhall, PA. Formerly the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, the structure was designed in 1903 by Hungarian-born architect, Titus de Bobula, who sought to effect a uniquely American architectural style, inspired by the Rusyn Greek Catholic Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross located in Ungvar, Austria-Hungary (present day Uzhhorod, Ukraine). The church’s twin towers rise 125 feet and are composed of white brick in a Greek cruciform pattern set into sandstone. The Art Nouveau architecture displays a distinctive central European appearance. Its design was later considered so significant that it was designated an historic landmark by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation.
In 1993 the cathedral parish was relocated in Munhall and the desanctified building was acquired by the St. John’s Eastern European Cultural Center, whose plans to restore it never materialized. In 2004, on its 10th Anniversary, the Carpatho-Rusyn Society purchased the vacant church for $25,000. As John Righetti, C-RS President at the time, noted, “It is the most historic building for Carpatho-Rusyns in the United States”. Maryann Sivak, a subsequent society president, commented that St. John the Baptist Cathedral “was the headquarters for the Rusyn people in America. And the hope is that it can be again, once it is renovated”.
The building has been used for Carpatho-Rusyn gatherings, cultural events, and as a location for archives and artifacts. Though more than $200,000 has been spent over the past twenty years on repair, the two floor interior is still in need of significant renovation estimated at $230,000. For this the 30th Anniversary year of the Carpatho-Rusyn Society, we hope to complete the renovations allowing permanent and rotating exhibitions, a reading room and upgraded facilities for cultural functions.
THE CULTURAL CENTER BUILDING HOLDS GREAT HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
FOR RUSYN-AMERICANS FOR THREE MAIN REASONS:
- It was the location for initial discussions by Rusyn-Americans as to the political fate of their homeland after dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire:On July 23, 1918 the American National Council of Uhro-Rusins was formed and convened in this building to advocate for Carpatho-Rusyn self-determination, electing Attorney Gregory Zatkovich (who lived two blocks east on 10th Street) as their president. Virtually leaderless, the Rusyn homeland relied on the activism of Zatkovich and others with Woodrow Wilson and Tomas Masaryk. Their negotiations ultimately led to an agreement for autonomy, as Subcarpathian Rus was annexed May 8, 1919 to the newly formed republic of Czechoslovakia. Zatkovich, an American citizen, subsequently was chosen as the first governor of the province.
- It represents the crux of Rusyn religious history in America: On July 5, 1926 the building was dedicated by Bishop Takach as the cathedral for the recently created Ruthenian Greek Catholic Exarchate (missionary diocese) in America. As such, the historic structure was the first cathedral in America exclusively for Carpatho-Rusyns.
- It was the home parish of the first Rusyn-American member of the U.S. Cabinet: Thomas Ridge was baptized here in September 1945. After working his way through Harvard with construction jobs, he later served as U.S. Representative, Governor of Pennsylvania and ultimately the first Secretary of Homeland Security. His biography represents a full embracing of American culture.
