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Poles first began to settle in the Hudson Avenue neighborhood of Rochester, New York in the 1880's. The first St. Stanislaus Church wooden structure was built in 1890. The second more grandiose brick structure was completed in 1909. St. Casimir's, a Polish National Catholic Church, was built in 1908. A large number of homes, shops, and businesses sprung up nearby as many Poles moved into the area. Soon there were groceries, hardware stores, barbers, saloons, a Dom Polski, a bowling alley, a library, a Polish Falcons Hall, a movie theater, and doctors' offices all along Hudson catering to the Polish residents.
My Dad grew up in the Hudson Avenue "Polish Town" neighborhood and we would make trips there to visit my grandparents and attend weddings and funerals at St. Stanislaus Church. Attending wakes at Felerski's Funeral Home meant going across the street with my sisters and cousins to Andy Sykut's candy store for ice cream. Hudson Avenue was still a bustling Polish community in the 1960's. However in the 1970's and 1980's the neighborhood underwent a transformation as many of the Poles left the Hudson Avenue area for the Rochester suburbs. Today, many of the former Polish institutions have been put to use by the neighborhood's current African American and Hispanic residents. However a small number of Polish residents and businesses still make their home in Rochester's "Polish Town." A major restoration of St. Stanislaus was completed in 2004.
Though no longer centralized along Hudson Avenue, Rochester Polonia is a vibrant community with many organizations, such as the Polish Heritage Society of Rochester, sponsoring events and activities throughout the year.
Former Green's Tavern, now Hancock's Hudson Tavern, 1034 Hudson
Former Andy's Candies
European Meats & Deli and Rochester Polish FCU
Pulaski and Hudson Sts.
Felerski's Funeral Home
Former Dom Polski
Four Brother's Tavern, 1008 Hudson Street
Echo Singing Society Building
Polish National Catholic Cemetary, Hudson Ave.
Polish National Home
Polska Chata Deli
Pulaski Library Branch, 1151 Hudson
Looking north on Hudson Ave.
Pulaski Park
Sobieski & North Sts.
Polish American Citizens of Rochester Club
Pulaski American Legion Post
St. Stanislaus Rochester
St. Casimir's PRC, Simpon Road
St. Stan's original building cornerstone
St. Theresa's RC Church
St. Stanislaus Church
St. Casimir's Polish National Church - Ernst Street.
Former Wojtczak's Bakery
St. Stan's Church and School campus
Current Polonia-Rochester Sites (2005) St. Stanislaus Roman Catholic Church 34 St. Stanislaus Street.
St. Casimir’s Polish National Church 500 Simpson Road
European Meat Products and Deli 1325 Hudson Avenue
Polska Chata Deli 1965 East Ridge Road
Polish American Citizens Club of Rochester 385 Weaver Street
Andy’s Candies 1100 Hudson Avenue
Rochester Polish Federal Credit Union 1325 Hudson Avenue
Pulaski Park
Bordering Avenue D and North, Gothic, and Carter Streets
Felerski’s Funeral Home 1005 Hudson Avenue
General Casimir Pulaski Plaque Monroe County Hall of Justice
FormerPolonia-RochetserSites EchoSingingSocietyBuilding 26 Sobieski Street
Currently the Ukrainian Christian Pentecostal Church
Polish Falcons Hall 284 Weyl Street
Currently the Pentecostal Power of DeliveranceChurch
Rochester Public Library - Pulaski Branch Hudson Avenue and Norton Street
Currently unoccupied
Dom Polski 818 Hudson Avenue
Currently Optical Gaging Products
Wojtczak's Bakery 990 Hudson Avenue
Currently unoccupied
Polish National Home 972 Hudson Avenue
Currently Emmanuel Church of Jesus
St. Theresa’s Roman Catholic Church 8 Mark Street Currently St. Bridget's Roman Catholic Church
St. Casimir’s Polish National Catholic Church
8 Ernst Street
Currently First Spanish Christian Church
Pulaski American Legion Post
1101 Norton Street
Currently GraceCommunityChurch
HUDSON AVE. 1950
969 Hudson- Polish Everybody's Daily Newspaper 1004 Hudson- Orlowski Meats 1008 Hudson - Four Brothers Tavern - Still in operation but I can't believe this is still a Polish American hangout given the neighborhood demographics. 1053 Hudson - Michalski Post, American Legion 1065 Hudson - Polish American Restaurant 1068 Hudson Brodie's Meats 1129 Hudson Zamiara Meats
Current Polonia Rochester Organizations/Resources
Polish Falcons Nest 52 Meets at Ira Jacobsen American Legion Post 90 St. John Place
Polish National Alliance Lodge 512 Meets at St. Stanislaus Church 34 St. Stanislaus Street
Polish Heritage Society of Rochester Meets at St. Casimir's 500 Simpson Road
Krakow-Rochester Sister Cities Committee
Polish Scouting Organization Meets at St. Stanislaus Church
Polonia Civic Centre Meets at St. Stanislaus Church
Skalny Center for Polish and Central European Studies University of Rochester
Polka Bandstand Show WGMC 90.1 FM Greece, New York Saturdays, 10-Noon Hosted by Ray Serafin and Al Meilutis
