Existing comment:
Village in the City
Mount Pleasant Heritage Trail
9 Czech Row
Like the Latino immigrants of recent times, Europeans left the political and economic hardships of home for a better life in the United States. Following the 1948 communist coup of Czechoslovakia a "Czech Row" or "Prague Road" enclave developed in the 2000 block of Park Road. Among its exiles were a four-star general and a former ambassador to Turkey. American Sokol, an offshoot of a Czech fitness movement, offered activities for all neighborhood children. Sokol had particular meaning for Czech expatriates as it was banned in Czechoslovakia during both the Nazi and communist eras.
Czech Row's residents reveled in their tall trees and lush views of the park, recalled Dagmar Hasalova White, the general's daughter. Other European newcomers found a touch of home in this setting. Former residents Mike Najarian and Bill Katopothis recalled how their mothers made stuffed grape leaves from vines in the alley behind nearby Irving Street. For Ruby Pelecanos, living on Irving Street in the 1940s, the neighborhood included a number of Greek families who attended "Greek School" at St. Sophia's Greek Orthodox Church. Ruby's father immigrated to Washington in 1908 and operated a number of small restaurants downtown and in Chevy Chase. Her son George grew up to write thrillers set in Washington.
During the 1960s, Mount Pleasant, like Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan, offered affordable housing that appealed to political activists, artists, and unconventional family groups. Blue Skies, a group housed devoted to anti-war work and social justice, owned and occupied 1910 Park Road in the early 1970s. |