National Register of Historic Places

Civic Club

New York, New York County, New York
Listed
September 15, 1982
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
82003372

About this property

The Civic Club building, now the New York Estonian House (Estonian: New Yorgi Eesti Maja), is a four-story Beaux-Arts building located at 243 East 34th Street between Second and Third Avenues in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The house was originally built for the Civic Club in 1898–1899, having been designed by Brooklyn architect Thomas A. Gray. The Civic Club was founded by the local social reformer F. Norton Goddard (1861–1905) to reduce poverty and fight against gambling in the neighborhood. After Goddard's death in 1905, the club ceased to exist, but the building remained in the Goddard family until 1946, when Frederick Norton's widow sold it for $25,000 to the New York Estonian Educational Society, Inc., which still owns the house today. The building underwent a $100,000 restoration in 1992. Known as the Estonian House (Eesti Maja), the building hosts several Estonian organizations, including the New York Estonian School (New Yorgi Eesti Kool), the Foundation for Estonian Arts and Letters (Eesti Kultuurifond Ameerika Ühendriikides), men's and women's choruses, and a folk dancing group. Vaba Eesti Sõna, the largest Estonian-language newspaper in the United States, is also published at the New York Estonian House. The Estonian House has become the main center of Estonian culture on the U.S. Eastern seaboard, especially amongst Estonian-Americans. The building was designated as a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1978 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Location

243 E. 34th St.
New York, New York County, New York
40.74490, -73.97575

Categories

ARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Sidewalk Clock at 519 3rd Avenue, Manhattan
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Sniffen Court Historic District
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House at 203 East 29 Street
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0.3 mi
Lanier, James F. D., Residence
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0.3 mi
R & S Building
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0.3 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Kip's Bay
1776Revolutionary War
0.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Civic Club listed on the National Register?

Civic Club was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 15, 1982.

What type of historic resource is Civic Club?

Civic Club is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Civic Club?

The period of significance for Civic Club is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Civic Club?

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