American Sokol

The American Sokol offers physical training in gymnastics and other athletics, as well as providing cultural awareness and family oriented activities. The organization is built on Sokol's founder Dr. Miroslav Tyrs' credo "A Sound Mind in a Sound Body". Sokol was originally founded in 1862 in Czechoslovakia ( now the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic ). Sokol's first unit in America was started in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1865. The Sokol organization continues today in the United States as a vital, thriving entity. History of Sokol Tabor Sokol Tabor is the second oldest unit in the United States. It was founded in 1866 in the central part of Chicago. Sokol Tabor slowly moved west while merging with other Sokols. These mergers created a need for a larger building and the leaders of Sokol Tabor looked to the western suburbs to establish a new home. A committee contacted Sokol Oak Park who had a spacious gymnasium located at 16th and Clarence in Berwyn, which was built in 1924. After much negotiation, on July 14, 1926 the merger of Sokols Oak Park and Tabor occurred with the new unit called Sokol Tabor. The original building was retained untouched until 1960 when more space was needed. Bro. Charles Prchal, President of Sokol Tabor, drew up architectural plans, which called for a front extension of the building. It cost over $150, 000 and was finally completed in 1975.