3009 Tillman Street
Bohemian National Hall, Bohemian National Home, Czechoslovakian National Hall, Czech National Building, Lithuanian Hall, Detroit Lithuanian Organizations Center, Darius and Giremas Club.
This building has stood at the corner of Tillman and Butternut for over a century. Before Detroit’s address change in 1921, the address was 49 Tillman Avenue.
In April of 1892, a permit was issued by the Fire Marshal for the construction of a three-frame dwelling at the address. The estimated cost was $2,000. The permit was issued for Mary H. E. Tyler. A woman named Mrs. Berchardt would later live there.
In March 1907, the house burnt down. It was described as old and vacant, and nobody in the neighborhood knew who owned it. The fire department believed that the home had been set on fire.
In May 1914, the cornerstone was laid for the new Bohemian National Hall. Mayor Oscar Marx did the honors and was presented with a large bouquet of roses and an honorary membership to join the Bohemian Turners. This organization had existed in Detroit for a few decades.
Seven months later, on December 14th, the building was dedicated. When completed, the structure had a gymnasium, auditorium, multiple meeting halls, classroom, private club, and a small apartment.
Over the years, this building was called the Bohemian National Hall, Bohemian National Home, Czechoslovakian National Hall, Bohemian Hall, Checho-Slovak National Hall, Czech National Building, and other things. Although it may not have had a solidary name, it had one purpose for the first leg of its life: to serve Bohemian Detroiters.
In a 1916 meeting at the structure, over 100 delegates from Detroit’s various Slavic societies (Serbian, Bohemian, Russian, Croatian, and more) pledged their allegiance to America. They spoke about issues that were important to their respective nations.
After the address change in 1921, the address became 3009 Tillman.
While run by the Bohemians, the hall was home to various community and youth groups. Gymnastics were taught in the gymnasium, plays and concerts were put on in the auditorium, and meetings between community members were held in the meeting rooms.
Just after midnight on New Year’s Eve 1955, a fire started in the structure’s basement. The Detroit Free Press reported that over 100 people ran out onto the street to safety. The damage was estimated at $5,000, over $50,000 today, and it was marked down as the first fire of 1956.
By the 1960s, the Bohemians had sold or leased the structure to Detroiters of Lithuanian heritage. Around this time, the Lithuanians had moved from their hall on Vernor Highway. 3009 Tillman was called the Lithuanian Hall and the Detroit Lithuanian Organizations Center in the Detroit Free Press.
In the 60s and 70s, the Darius and Giremas Club, or D & G Club, operated out of the building. It was a private social club closely tied to the Lithuanian groups inside the structure and across the neighborhood. I believe the club closed in the 1980s, and the building was left mostly vacant.
In 1997, the structure was sold and blossomed into a space for artists. Live music, gallery showcases, and other community events were commonplace at the Bohemian National Home throughout this era. According to a 2007 Detroit Free Press article, the project was run by Joel Peterson and Jerome Ferretti.
Dozens of artists played in the 1914 auditorium. A few names stuck out on the various databases while writing this piece: Danny Kroha, Sam Rivers, Awesome Color, and John Sinclair (manager of the MC5). The last ads for shows at the venue in the paper are from 2011.
At some point, Gerald ‘Jerry’ Belanger purchased the Bohemian National Home. He also was involved in the creation of Park Bar and Cliff Bells downtown. In a 2016 article from the Detroit News, Belanger explained that his plan for the building in southwest Detroit was a performing space, bar, and residential complex.
Today, the exterior of 3009 Tillman is sturdy but battered. The brickwork, windows, and other details remain relatively intact. Still, the structure doesn’t appear to have had any major restoration work done in the time I’ve watched it, at least from the exterior.
The building stands tall in a sea of vacant lots, but the surrounding neighborhood is far from empty. Hopefully, the structure will be renovated and available for the community’s use in the near future.
