Ukrainian Museum and Archives Grand Reopening 1202 Kenilworth Ave. Tremont Neighborhood of Cleveland September 5, 2025
The Ukrainian Museum-Archives in Cleveland was founded in 1952 by displaced scholars who took on the mission of collecting and preserving items from Ukrainian history and culture during an era when this kind of material was being deliberately destroyed in Soviet Ukraine. Over the course of its first quarter century, the UMA compiled a huge collection that includes many rare, even unique items.
The UMA’s collection includes over 45,000 books and over 1,800 unique titles of periodicals. In addition, the Ukrainian Museum-Archives (UMA) has a very large collection of materials published and created in the post WWII Displaced Persons Camps with approximately 1,600 titles of books and 500 periodicals. Of course the UMA includes history and current information on Ukraine's struggles for independence and liberty. Museum (and Gift Shop) open for public hours are Tuesday – Saturday – 10:00 am to 3:00 pm (or by appointment)
They hosted a grand reopening on September 5, 2025 after months of repairs and upgrades on the front building.
We spoke with Andy Fedynsky, Director of the UMA, who said that in 1918 the building was used as an orphanage for Ukrainian kids and then for nuns, then scouting and then as the Museum and Archives for the last 50 years or so. The mission statement includes not just the Ukrainian story but the broader immigrant experience. Andy says it is an American museum. The Cleveland Ukrainian community goes back to the 19th century when immigrants came to the industrial valley at Tremont for jobs.
He said that the Tremont neighborhood had become a dangerous place in the 1980's and the UMA helped in the comeback of the historic neighborhood which includes numerous ethnic churches. Andy credits his experience on Capitol Hill working for Senator Bob Dole and then as Chief of Staff for Congresswoman Mary Rose Oakar for helping him learn about the system to aid with the development of the Museum and neighborhood.
Andy's parents were political refugees after WWII and were placed in a Displaced Person camp in Innsbruck Austria where Andy was born in 1947. He tells a great story of how this Ukrainian kid ended us as a Fighting Irishman at Notre Dame - because of his birth in Innsbruck. Watch the interview.
During the reception there were a few brief remarks from Andy Fedynsky, Board member Dr. George Jaskiw, UMA Executive Director Paul Burlij and UMA Curator Aniza Kraus. During Andy's remarks he was surprised with a birthday cake and song. Watch a video of the speeches.
Here are a few images of people at the UMA Grand Reopening.
Andy Fedynsky
Andy Fedynsky and Dr. George Jaskiw
Dr. George Jaskiw and Paul Burlij
Andy Fedynsky and his wife Christine
Birthday Surprise
Dr. George Jaskiw, Curator Aniza Kraus and Andy Fedynsky
Artists with works on display at the Museum
George Jaskiw and Andy Fedynsky
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