Druh Ted Zolkiewicz from Nest 6 in Buffalo, N.Y., poses in his Polish Falcons uniform. Date unknown.
Buffalo's Nest 6 was officially formed on October 5, 1896 after a false start three years earlier. In 1900, the nest joined the building committee for the Dom Polski, or Polish Community Center, in Buffalo. Each Polish Falcon member contributed one penny each month toward the building until it was completed in 1905.
Today, Buffalo's Dom Polski has taken on a new life as the Lt. Col. Matt Urban Human Services Center. The center's namesake is among the most decorated veterans in American history. Lt. Col. Urban was born in 1919 to Polish immigrants and grew up in the Polish community around the Dom Polski. Today, the center that bears his name provides a variety of services, including housing services and work skills training.
To learn more about the Polish community in Buffalo, check out the photographs in our Nests Collection!