Civic Club (New York Estonian House) | |
 (2008) | |
 | |
| Location | 243 East 34th Street Manhattan,New York City |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°44′42.5″N73°58′34.4″W / 40.745139°N 73.976222°W /40.745139; -73.976222 |
| Built | 1898–1899 |
| Architect | Thomas A. Gray |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| NRHP reference No. | 82003372[1] |
| NYCL No. | 0980 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | September 16, 1982 |
| Designated NYCL | March 28, 1978 |
TheCivic Club building, now theNew York Estonian House (Estonian:New Yorgi Eesti Maja), is a four-storyBeaux-Arts building located at 243East 34th Street betweenSecond andThird Avenues in theMurray Hill neighborhood ofManhattan inNew York City.
The house was originally built for the Civic Club in 1898–1899, having been designed byBrooklyn architect Thomas A. Gray. The Civic Club was founded by the local social reformerF. Norton Goddard (1861–1905) to reduce poverty and fight against gambling in the neighborhood. After Goddard's death in 1905, the club ceased to exist, but the building remained in the Goddard family until 1946, when Frederick Norton's widow sold it for $25,000 to the New York Estonian Educational Society, Inc., which still owns the house today. The building underwent a $100,000 restoration in 1992.[2][3]
Known as the Estonian House (Eesti Maja), the building hosts several Estonian organizations, including the New York Estonian School (New Yorgi Eesti Kool), the Foundation for Estonian Arts and Letters (Eesti Kultuurifond Ameerika Ühendriikides), men's and women's choruses, and a folk dancing group.[3][4]Vaba Eesti Sõna, the largest Estonian-language newspaper in the United States, is also published at the New York Estonian House.[5][6] The Estonian House has become the main center ofEstonian culture on the U.S. Eastern seaboard, especially amongstEstonian-Americans.
The building was designated as a landmark by theNew York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1978 and was added to theNational Register of Historic Places in 1982.[7]
