Bulgarian Macedonian National Educational and Cultural Center

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Visit our Tour Destination: Pennsylvania page to see the entire tour of the state’s Save America’s Treasures sites.

The museum area at the Bulgarian Macedonian National Educational and
Cultural Center showing the archival-quality cabinets, featuring Bulgarian-style
embellishments, built by renowned Japanese woodworking artist Tadao Arimoto.
Photo courtesy of the BMNECC.

Bulgarian Macedonian National Educational and Cultural Center

West Eighth Avenue

West Homestead, PA

Website:  Bulgarian Macedonian National Educational and Cultural Center

The Treasure:  A large collection of artifacts illuminates the fascinating culture that Bulgarian and Macedonian immigrants brought with them as they settled into a new life in America.  

Accessibility:  The Bulgarian Macedonian National Educational and Cultural Center is open Tuesdays through Thursdays from 10 to 1, Saturdays from 9 to noon, and other hours by appointment.  There’s a busy schedule of special events most months.  Check the calendar for what’s going on.

Background:  First, some basic geography: Roughly the size of Virginia, Bulgaria is located is southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea to the east, Romania to the north, Greece and Turkey to the south, and Serbia and Macedonia to the west. Considerably smaller, Macedonia is approximately the size of Vermont and is an entirely landlocked country, surrounded by Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Albania. From 1944 until its independence in 1991, Macedonia was the southernmost republic within Yugoslavia. Nestled on the Balkan Peninsula, Bulgaria and Macedonia have maintained a rich cultural heritage in the face of frequent foreign occupations.

BMNECC Chairwoman Emerita Patricia
Penka French standing in front of the
78-year-old Bulgarian Cultural Center. The
building's facade was refurbished in 2005
thanks to a grant from the Pittsburgh
History and Landmarks Foundation.
Photo courtesy of the BMNECC.

In the early years of the 20th century, many Bulgarians and Macedonians left their homelands to find new opportunities in America. It was a time of relative freedom in both countries—between the time of the Turkish Ottoman rule that ended in 1878 and the rise of the Iron Curtain after World War II, but economic conditions prompted many to try their luck abroad. They came to the American heartland looking for steady work, responding to the demand for labor in the factories and mines.

The thriving steel mills of Pittsburgh attracted many immigrants. The new arrivals brought their culture and customs with them, adapting as best they could to their new home. In 1930, a group of citizens founded the Bulgaro-Macedonian Beneficial Association in West Homestead, located southeast of Pittsburgh, across the Monongahela River. Like many immigrant organizations, the Association was formed to help immigrant families succeed in the new American environment.

Fifty years later, with the decline of the steel industry in 1980s, the Association began to look for a way to stay relevant. In 1995, they officially dissolved the original organization and founded a new one—the Bulgarian Macedonian National Educational and Cultural Center. The new focus was on celebrating and preserving a unique immigrant culture with strong ties to its Balkan homelands.

At the Bulgarian Macedonian National Educational and Cultural Center, you’ll find music, dance, and a Soup Sega! kitchen that specializes in ethnic Bulgarian specialties. The Save America’s Treasures grant contributed to the retrofitting of a new exhibit space where the historic artifacts—textiles and costumes, artwork, icons, photographs, films, audio recordings, musical instruments, jewelry, and metal work—could be displayed in attractive archival-quality cabinets. Looking outward for new ways to share their heritage, the Cultural Center has recently led initiatives such as Opera from Bulgaria—an Audio Encyclopedia Project, providing access to a rich tradition of Bulgarian opera and opera singers for the benefit of classical music fans and researchers.

Other Recommended Sites:  The main museum of the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area is located in the neighboring borough of Homestead. Here you can learn about the steel business that once supported so many of the immigrant families.

Thanks to the Save America's Treasures grant, the BMNECC was able
to create a full-service technology center, as well as support for the
cleaning, repairing, and rehousing over 200 historic films in their collection.
Photo courtesy of the BMNECC.

Tour America's History Itinerary

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© 2013 Lee Price