Slovak National Hall

The original building of the Slovak National Hall was built at 470 Ritson Road, around where the Slovak Byzantine Catholic Church of the Protection of the Mother of God is now located (on 464 Ritson Rd.).

The Slovak National Hall served various purposes for Oshawa’s early Slovak community, dating to the interwar period of immigration. Two of these organizations were the Slovak League (Branch 6) and the First Catholic Slovak Union (Branch 786), both formed in 1928. Church services also took place at the hall in the absence of a church dedicated to Slovak people in the city. The Slovak National Hall appears to have been constructed c. 1940, according to City Directories. It first appeared in the 1940 City of Oshawa Directory.

With the post-World War II immigration boom from countries such as Czechoslovakia (today the Czech Republic and Slovakia), there was the opportunity to rebuild for a new generation of Slovak Canadians. The Slovak Byzantine Catholic Parish was formed in February 1952, while the church itself began being built in January of 1955 (commencing eight months of fundraising and labour).

470 Ritson Road South is, as of 2022, the address for the Corner Church.