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The Admiral Theatre is located at 2234 South 13th Street in the Little Bohemia neighborhood of
Sokol Auditorium was built in 1926 at the corner of South 13th Street and Martha Street to house many of the Omaha Czech community’s social activities. Sokols ("falcons" in
Sokol OmahaSokol AuditoriumSokol Underground
*Map: {{Coord, 41, 14, 19, N, 95, 56, 02, W, format=dms, display=inline,title, type:landmark_region:US-NE 1862 establishments in Nebraska Territory Czech-American history Music venues in Omaha, Nebraska History of South Omaha, Nebraska Theatres in Omaha, Nebraska Czech-American culture in Omaha, Nebraska Sokol in the United States
South Omaha, Nebraska
South Omaha is a former city and current district of Omaha, Nebraska, United States. During its initial development phase, the town's nickname was "The Magic City" because of the seemingly overnight growth due to the rapid development of the Unio ...
. It is a local icon for its historical context, as well as modern musical performances for rock and country music. It has a maximum capacity of 1,500. It was originally known as the Sokol Auditorium from 1926 to 2021.
History
Sokol Auditorium was built in 1926 at the corner of South 13th Street and Martha Street to house many of the Omaha Czech community’s social activities. Sokols ("falcons" in Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus
*Czech (surnam ...
) were fraternal (and sororal) organizations first founded in Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
to promote equality, harmony, and fraternity. As one of four in Omaha, the Sokol Auditorium was utilized for meetings by twenty-five Bohemian lodges, as well as ethnic Italians
Italians (, ) are a European ethnic group native to the Italian geographical region. Italians share a common culture, history, ancestry and language. Their predecessors differ regionally, but generally include populations such as the Etrusc ...
and American groups. The hall also offered recreation classes for its members.Mead & Hunt, Inc. (2006) ' Nebraska State Historical Society. p. 6. Retrieved 6/17/07.
The Sokol Auditorium in Omaha was one of many such buildings built as part of the Sokol movement
The Sokol movement (, ) is an all-age gymnastics organization founded in Prague in the Czech lands of Austria-Hungary in 1862 by Miroslav Tyrš and Jindřich Fügner. It was based upon the principle of "Mens sana in corpore sano, a strong mind ...
. In 1862, a highly educated young Czech intellectual, Dr. Miroslav Tyrš
Miroslav Tyrš (born Friedrich Emanuel Tirsch, in Czech: Bedřich Tyrš; 17 September 1832 – 8 August 1884) was a Czechs, Czech philosopher, Art history, art historian, sports organizer and together with Jindřich Fügner the cofounder of th ...
(1832-1884) founded Sokol. His goal was to develop physically strong and mentally alert citizens, and to instill in them a deep love for national freedom as a result of volunteer exercise and discipline.
Sokols have been prominent in the Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
for many years. Sokol Omaha sent Phil Cahoy and James Hartung as members of the 1980 Olympic team; Hartung competed again in 1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
.
In 2021, the venue was purchased by 1% Productions, which arranged for a comprehensive renovation. The venue is now called The Admiral Theatre, named after the defunct Omaha movie theater of the same name which was located at South 40th and Farnam Streets and was in operation from 1942 to 1983 before finally being demolished in 1997.
Legacy
The Sokol Auditorium has been mentioned specifically in a number of songs from the last twenty years.The Faint
The Faint is an American indie rock band. Formed in Omaha, Nebraska, the band consists of Todd Fink, Graham Ulicny, Dapose and Clark Baechle. The Faint was originally known as Norman Bailer and included Conor Oberst (of Bright Eyes (band), Brig ...
mentions the Sokol in the song, "Amorous in Bauhaus Fashion," from the album Media
Media may refer to:
Communication
* Means of communication, tools and channels used to deliver information or data
** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising
** Interactive media, media that is inter ...
. They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants, often abbreviated as TMBG, is an American alternative rock and Children's music, children's band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as ...
wrote the song, "Sokol Auditorium," about the venue. Neva Dinova
Neva Dinova is an Independent music, indie band from Omaha, Nebraska, formed in 1993 "at the height of the slowcore movement" by guitarist/singer-songwriter Jake Bellows and bassist Heath Koontz. The band is named after Jake Bellows's grandmother ...
's music video for "Yellow Datsun," was filmed at the Auditorium, and Johnny Rioux of the Street Dogs
Street Dogs is an American punk rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 2002 by former Dropkick Murphys singer Mike McColgan. The band disbanded in early 2020 after 17 years together but reunited again in 2024.
History
In 1997, McC ...
collapsed on stage on February 27, 2007 of an apparent seizure while his band was opening for Flogging Molly
Flogging Molly is an Irish-American seven-piece Celtic punk band formed in Los Angeles in 1997, led by Irish vocalist Dave King, formerly of the hard rock band Fastway. They are signed to their own record label, Borstal Beat Records.
Histor ...
.
See also
*Music in Omaha
Music in Omaha, Nebraska, has been a diverse and important influence in the culture of the city. Long a home to jazz, blues, funk and rock, today Omaha has dozens of subgenres represented, including Latin, alternative rock and hip-hop. Omaha's his ...
References
External links
Sokol Omaha
*Map: {{Coord, 41, 14, 19, N, 95, 56, 02, W, format=dms, display=inline,title, type:landmark_region:US-NE 1862 establishments in Nebraska Territory Czech-American history Music venues in Omaha, Nebraska History of South Omaha, Nebraska Theatres in Omaha, Nebraska Czech-American culture in Omaha, Nebraska Sokol in the United States