By the 1950s the Finns had largely left Harlem; many moved to Brooklyn’s Sunset Park. As in Harlem, this “Finntown” had social halls, churches and organized labor groups. The Finnish language was commonly spoken, and the New Yorkin Uutiset delivered the news.
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Brooklyn’s Finntown was home to some 20,000 Finns, who were serviced by Finnish restaurants, a bakery, markets, taverns, shops and saunas. The boom years ended in the 1960s, as Finnish-Americans dispersed and businesses and social centers closed, but its history will not be forgotten thanks to the efforts of Robert Alan Saasto.
His grandparents all came from Finland in the early 1900s, and he attended events at Finntown’s Imatra Hall and grew up in one of the two dozen co-op apartment buildings that dotted Sunset Park.
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“Finns introduced the cooperative to the United States,” he explains. The first was built in 1916 and named Alku (Beginning), followed in 1917 by neighboring Alku Toinen (Beginning Two).
The attorney has dedicated decades to gaining recognition of Finntown’s history, leading the successful effort to designate 40th Street “Finlandia Street,” and working to gain recognition by New York State and the National Register of Historic Places for Alku and Alku Toinen.
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In 1954, a group of Finnish-Americans founded the Finlandia Foundation New York Metropolitan Chapter. Early members included Edith and Paul Kaske, parents of current FFNYMC board member Judy Kaske-Cirigliano.
“Immigrants post-war were interested in keeping up their heritage in this country,” she says. “Because they didn’t have extended family here, they formed the chapter to stay connected.”
Just a year after its founding, the New York chapter and the United National International Symphony Orchestra and Music Institute organized the Sibelius 90th Birthday Concert in 1955 at Carnegie Hall. Guest conductor was Jean Sibelius’ son-in-law Jussi Jalas, and soloist was Sylvia Aarnio, a member of FFNYMC.
“The chapter was very active with events until the sixties,” says Judy. Her father was an amateur photographer who recorded images of Finnish life and locations in Harlem and Brooklyn. The photos were displayed at the chapter’s 65th anniversary celebration in 2019, and offer valuable insight into areas where little remains to indicate they were once Finnish enclaves.
FFNYM Chapter President Eero Kilpi notes that New York’s Finnish community is nothing like it was in 1954. Today, it’s largely ex-pats, professionals on assignment for international companies, with different experiences and interests.
“We all understand how important Finlandia Foundation National was in the 1950s and 1960s,” he says. “But that era doesn’t exist anymore. We have to do something totally different. Everything we do now has to be geared toward younger generations of Finnish-Americans.”
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The organization offers scholarships and hosts several events each year. To build attendance and grow its membership, FFNYMC has made a concentrated effort to partner with other organizations, including the Finnish American Chamber of Commerce, Finnish Church, Finnish School and Scandinavia House.
This year, with in-person events cancelled, FFNYMC has launched online programming including a Juhannus concert featuring New York talent.
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Eero sees cooperation as the key to the future of FFNYMC, which has an important role: “It’s educating people about Finnish values. Punctuality, low corruption, the structure of society, honesty… These values need to be shared.”
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