317 Project: Century-old Slovenian social club struggles to survive
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In Haughville, less than two miles from IUPUI, there's an old, red brick building with "Slovenian National Home" etched into stone above the front door.
It is the headquarters of the Slovenian National Home Association, a private social club established in 1918.
Past the rusty chain-link fence and broken window, there’s a private entrance where three men gathered inside: Phil Lambert, president; Rok Cerne, vice president; and Charley Turk, treasurer.
They prepared for a meeting with the Slovenian government in late September setup by Tone Kajzer, the ambassador of Slovenia to the U.S., who expressed interest in offering support to the association after attending their biggest annual event last August.
Once a social hub for the eastern European immigrant community during the early- to mid-1900s, the club has been on the decline for the last 40 years; as the neighborhood changed and succeeding generations of Slovenian-Americans grew more disconnected from their culture, Lambert said.
“I have two older brothers and a younger sister,” Turk added, “and none of them have anything to do with this place.”
Lambert, whose family has been a member of the club for four generations, said, “In 2010, we were one month away from closing the doors here permanently.”
To save the space, they fired the entire staff and switched to a volunteer-based operating system.
Since then, the doors have only been open once a week on Fridays, offering a dinner service to members only from 6-11 p.m. The menu changes weekly along with whichever chef has volunteered to prepare food.
Between an HVAC that needs repair, broken windows, fading paint and water damages, the anticipation of the meeting with the Slovenian consulate was high.
"They've agreed to offer financial support, but we've got to apply," Lambert said after meeting with Slovenian dignitaries the following week. "It's up to the Slovenian government to decide what they can allocate, but any is plenty."
Contact IndyStar reporter Brandon Drenon at 317-517-3340 or BDrenon@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonDrenon.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Slovenian National Home Association struggles to survive
