{"nrhp_refnum":"02001353","name":"Narodni Sin","other_names":["(Czech) National Hall"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"209-211 E. Vandalia","address_restricted":false,"city":"Edwardsville","county":"Madison County","state":"IL","lat":38.81376024200006,"lon":-89.95365749599995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-11-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History","European","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Narodni Sin (Czech National Hall) is a two-story brick commercial and meeting hall building at 209-211 East Vandalia Street in Edwardsville, Madison County, Illinois, built in 1906 by brothers Joseph Hlad Sr. and Anton Hlad.","why_significant":"It is locally significant under Criterion A as one of the best surviving ethnic halls in southwestern Illinois, built for the Czech lodge Rolnick No. 7 and used for Czech fraternal, gymnastic and labor activities. It is also significant under Criterion C as a good local example of the two-part commercial block building type popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.","narrative":"Built in 1906 for Lodge Rolnick No. 7, this two-story brick building on East Vandalia Street in Edwardsville served the town's growing Czech community. The upper floor held a large meeting hall used for lodge meetings, dances, language classes and Sokol gymnastics, with meetings conducted in Czech until 1958. Shops, taverns and restaurants occupied the street level, and labor unions and other societies also met there. Brothers Joseph Hlad Sr., the general contractor, and Anton Hlad, a plasterer, built it. The front facade follows the two-part commercial block form, with a cast-iron storefront below and an ornate brick frieze and cornice above, set with limestone trim and an inscription reading National Hall. Inside, the pressed-tin ceiling, maple floor and gymnastic hooks survive. The hall was sold in 1971 and renovated, though the exterior still closely resembles its early appearance. It is recognized as a well-preserved ethnic hall and a good local commercial building example.","period_of_significance":"1906-1952","architect_builder":"Hlad, Joseph Sr. and Hlad, Anton","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements (two-part commercial block)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Currently houses an architecture office on the lower floor and an apartment on the upper floor; renovated in 1971-1972 with a rear addition built in the 1980s.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.136418-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/82/8935/28893582/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/02001353.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001353/aa28e6ea08-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001353/aa28e6ea08-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Rklawton","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Narodni_Sin.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Rklawton</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Narodni_Sin.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893582","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narodni_Sin","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6966094"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/madison-county/narodni-sin-02001353/"}