Estonian House

Erik Siberg

This place served as the cultural center for the post-WWII diaspora of Estonians who left their country when Estonia was annexed by the Soviet Union. Most Estonians like my family emigrated to Yorkville and the Upper East Side after the war. They attended the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Immanuel Church (122 E. 88th) or Gustavus Lutheran (155 E. 22nd). Estonian House is still home to the Estonian Educational Society, the Vabna Sona newspaper, Boy Scout Troop 341, the Estonian folk dance troop Saare Vikat every Friday night, the Estonian language school every Saturday morning, and has a restaurant and bar which has served inexpensive Estonian food for over 50 years.