Organizers at a cultural hub for Ukrainian immigrants in Buffalo are celebrating building upgrades, Friday.
The Ukrainian Cultural Center Dnipro on Genesee Street received $421,630 from Erie County in two rounds of Cultural Grant Funding. The money partially funded improvements to the building's facade and other projects.
“The first round of $160,000 went to resurface the parking lot outside, constructed a new basement children's activity room, but also provided waterproofing, carpentry, electrical finish work and began renovations on the second floor banquet kitchen," explained Erie County Executive, Mark Poloncarz.
During a tour of the building, Center President Emil Bandriwsky pointed out a labor-saving purchase for that kitchen, made with county cash.
“This dishwasher is a commercial dishwasher, cost $7,000, and as I told the county executive, this is the first dishwasher in 110 years in Dnipro that is not an old Ukrainian lady," he said.
Built in 1914, the building was purchased by Ukrainian immigrants displaced by World War II in 1955, and has served as a cornerstone of the Ukrainian community in Buffalo ever since.
"This is a this is an important cultural institution in our community for many reasons, but especially since the war of aggression that was waged on Ukraine by Russia," Poloncarz said. "This organization and this place here is a refuge for refugees that come into the United States and are looking for a brighter future from the war."
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the number of Ukrainian children attending the kids’ activity group hosted at the center has almost doubled to 65, according to Bandriwsky.
The Erie County Cultural Capital Grant Program was created in 2022 because of a budget surplus. Of a budgeted $25 million, the county allocated between $17.5-$18 million to cultural institutions over a 3-year period according to Poloncarz.
