Dom Polski, Perry, NY

While Poles had been settling in Western New York since the 1840s, none had made the eastern Wyoming County village of Perry home until about 1903. At that time Frank Narowski led a dozen men including Joseph Nawalski, Martin Watega, John Grodecki, Steven Slusarczyk, William Zawisza, Walter Tryka, John Starchurski and Frank Ryczek to Perry in search of work at the Perry Knitting Mills. Finding success they sent for their families who still lived in the Depew area.

By the turn of the decade, the Polish community of Perry was 450 strong and now needed two things, a church and a social hall. The church came first, with the establishment of St. Stanislaus Kostka in 1910. Shortly thereafter, the first Dom Polski was opened. This two-story building with a dance hall on the first floor and 12 offices on the second, only served the community a short time, burning to the ground on October 19, 1913. It would take Perry’s Polonia eight years to fully recuperate from this tragic event.

In January of 1921, Anthony Dec, Chester F. Jedrzejewski, Felix Kwiecien, Walter Odymala, and Szczepan Siembida held a meeting and decided it was time to revive the Dom Polski. The group began raising funds and collecting donations for the new home. Within three years it became necessary for them to incorporate, choosing the name, the Polish Home Association of Perry. In 1925, the group purchased a two family dwelling on Water Street in the heart of Perry’s Polish neighborhood and began remodeling the property. Half the building became club rooms while the other half served as living quarters to the building’s custodian. It soon became apparent that the meager facility was not nearly big enough for all the clubs and events of the community. It was decided to build a modern Dom Polski and architect Bronislaus A. Kalinowski of Buffalo was brought in to design the new home. The plans Kalinowski came up with called for a two-story brick building measuring 65 feet long and 40 feet wide. The upper half was dominated by a large gathering hall with a stage in the rear, while the lower floor had space for small club rooms.

On June 10, 1928, with much celebration and jubilation a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Dom Polski was held. Over 300 guests from across New York State descended on the small Wyoming County village for the event. It would only take six months for the building to be competed and January 20, 1929 a formal banquet was held officially opening it.

For the rest of the century, the home survived the hard times of the Great Depression, saw members fight in the Second World War, and enjoyed both the concerts of the Pirates Orchestra and the festive Dyngus Day celebrations. At the end of the 1980s, older members were dying off and there were fewer younger Poles that wanted to replace them. To survive, the home approved non-Polish members and the rolls went back up while still maintaining its Polish flavor.

The turn of the millennium saw the Polish Home begin to slide. The first was the opening of the new casino, which cut into the once lucrative bell jar pull tabs that the home sold. Then the declining population of Perry began to be felt. With fewer younger people and even less that wanted to formally join the Dom Polski, the members and board decided to close its doors, holding its last event on January 16, 2014.