JOSEPHATOWA (est. 1910)

The area situated around E. 33rd Street between St. Clair and Superior Avenues was originally owned by Albert G. Lawrence, an attorney who was born in New York. During the late 1800s, the land was divided up and sold. Being that the location was close to the central city, it was highly residential and the proximity to light industry was attractive to immigrants. South Slavic immigrants arrived in the 1890s and shortly before 1900, Polish immigrants began to arrive. Because the Polish immigrants came mainly from Galicia, the neighborhood was sometimes called “Little Galicia”. At the turn of the 20th century, the South Slavs, mainly Slovenians, began to move east along St. Clair Avenue. The Polish population remained and continued to grow. These Polish families bought second generation homes rather than building their own.

By 1908, there were enough families to necessitate the forming of a Polish Catholic parish. The Catholic community was originally formed as St. Hedwig’s Parish although there was also a newly formed St. Hedwig’s Parish in Lakewood. So in 1910, to avoid dispute, Bishop Farrelly changed the name to St. Josaphat’s Parish. The following year, land along E. 33rd Street was purchased for the church building. Thus, the neighborhood of “Josephatowa” was born.

St. Josephat’s Parish was closed in 1998 and the property sold. The church building was desanctified and its religious artifacts removed. In 2005, Josephat Properties purchased and renovated the church building. The Josephat Arts Hall is now inside the original church. The area has become a gathering place for art enthusiasts of all ethnic backgrounds.