When the first Czecho-Slovak immigrants came to St. Louis, they found personal freedom, but economic hardship. This led to the forming of the first benevolent fraternal organization in the United States. On the 4th of March in the year 1854 about twenty-five Czecho-Slovak immigrants met in a small tavern in south St. Louis, Missouri. The Cesko-Slovanske Podporujici Spolecnost (Czecho-Slovak Protective Society) or C.S.P.S was formed to provide some security for their widows and children upon their death. The following year a small wooden Catholic church was built and dedicated to Saint John Nepomuk.

Since that time the Czecho-Slovak organizations have met in and used many buildings. In 1865 the Czechs met in a small hall at 10th and Marion Streets and formed the first Sokol unit in the new world. Then they used the south St. Louis Turners Hall; plays were given at the Apollo Theater at Fourth and Cerre Streets. The Sokols even sometimes did their gym work in basements and even a two room flat where a wall partition was removed to make space.

In 1890 the fraternal organization C.S.P.S built the National Hall at Dolman and Allen Avenues. The Sokols used the lower level of the building for several years. In 1894 the Sokol unit purchased the Union Capital Hall on 9th and Allen Avenues. After moving in, the building was badly damaged by a tornado. With much hard work and dedication, the repairs were made. In 1895, the second Bohemian church in St. Louis was dedicated to St. Wenceslaus on Oregon Ave.

The following twenty-five years were the time of peak Czech immigration to the U.S.A. During these years both the Czech National Hall and the Sokol Hall thrived with many activities. In 1922 the St. Louis Sokol unit sold their hall and moved into the National Hall. With this move, the Czech activities in St. Louis were gathered under one roof. As the Czech migration to the new world was reduced, the second and third generations of Czech descent faced a serious problem.

In the year 1965 the end of an era arrived for the Czecho-Slovaks in St. Louis, and a new one also began. The old National Hall at Dolman and Allen Avenues, the long time home for the various Czecho-Slovak organizations was razed to make room for a new interstate highway. But before its sturdy walls were leveled, a new structure was already taking form. The American Czech Educational Center at 4690 Lansdowne was well on its way to completion.