ABSTRACT LECHNER, STEVEN EB Recalling Ethnic

ABSTRACT LECHNER, STEVEN E.B. Recalling Ethnic Yorkville: The Histories, Heritage Practices, Imaginaries, and Identities of Two Ethnic Communities in One Urban Neighborhood (Under the direction of Dr. David A. Zonderman). Recalling Ethnic Yorkville examines the histories and heritage practices of two hybrid communities – German Americans and Hungarian Americans – with deep connections to Yorkville, an urban neighborhood on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The working-class ethnic enclaves these migrants constructed in the late-nineteenth century survived for nearly a century until succumbing to the forces of gentrification during the last third of the twentieth century. Book I traces the active and declension phases of the enclaves, while foregrounding the dynamic and transnational nature of the hybrid identities by which each cohered. It also tracks the development of a politically compliant, socially conformist, and artificially linear story that portrays Yorkville’s ethnic constituencies as having melted away into undifferentiated Americanness, a result hailed as consistent with the nation’s need for socio- cultural unity. This imagined past reinforces nationalizing myths such as the melting pot metaphor, a largely racialized distortion that depicts Euro-Americans as the “good” immigrants by which all subsequent newcomers must be judged. Moreover, by proclaiming ethnic Yorkville’s death, the dominant narrative ignores the communities’ contemporary heritage afterlives. Book II, through four case studies, reconnects these ethnic heritage practices to their historical roots, analyzes their present manifestations, and explores the complex relationship between ethnicity and place. This intervention is intended to transcend problematic tropes about America’s immigration past to enrich our public discourse concerning its immigration present and future. © Copyright 2020 Steven Lechner All Rights Reserved Recalling Ethnic Yorkville: The Histories, Heritage Practices, Imaginaries, and Identities of Two Ethnic Communities in One Urban Neighborhood by Steven E. B. Lechner A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public History Raleigh, North Carolina 2020 APPROVED BY: ________________________________ ________________________________ Dr. David A. Zonderman Dr. Katherine Mellen Charron Chair of Advisory Committee ________________________________ ________________________________ Dr. Akram F. Khater Dr. Dru E. McGill DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to my mother Rose Marie Nicometo. She supported my decision to pursue a doctoral degree in public history at North Carolina State University just as she had every major decision I made in my life. My mother worked harder than any person I have ever known, laboring without complaint so that I might have a chance to taste success. As a young woman growing up in Oakfield, New York she earned a teaching scholarship, although circumstances prevented her from chasing that dream. Nevertheless, in her seventies, she returned to the school system from which she graduated to serve as its most beloved substitute teacher and bus aide. The life of “Grandma Rose” had come full circle. My mother played an active part in this project. Each draft chapter I shared with her gave us an opportunity not only to discuss the history and heritage of Yorkville, but to delve deeper into our family’s migratory past. In 1913, my maternal grandfather, Antonio Nicometo, barely seventeen years old, left his native Celano, Italy, a village carved right into the Apennine Mountains, in pursuit of a new life in America. Lena LoBue, my maternal grandmother, was born in 1908 in Western New York shortly after her parents emigrated from central Sicily. They were twenty-six and fifteen respectively when they married in 1923. In July 2020, nearly a century later, my mother rejoined her parents. Completing this dissertation after her sudden and unexpected passing has been the most emotionally difficult thing I have ever done. I find peace in having shared so much of this experience with her over the past three years. Ti amo madre. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS “Don’t be afraid of death so much as an inadequate life,” German playwright Bertolt Brecht once warned. This dissertation stems from my quest to embrace curiosity, pursue knowledge, and live fully whatever the obstacles. A passion to explore ideas takes root and blossoms through our relationships with others. That is, an intellectual journey is a social enterprise. It is my highest honor, therefore, to acknowledge the women and men who have played significant roles in shaping Recalling Ethnic Yorkville. I am forever in their debt. I could not have completed this project without the love and support of my family. My lovely and talented wife, Jennifer Moeller Lechner, demonstrated uncommon patience, sagacity, and wisdom throughout this process. Her ideas improved the final product and her encouragement saw me through difficult times. My daughter, Grace, and son, Abera, lived with this project as a constant interloper. I thank them for their patience and love. I hope my risk taking will inspire them to pursue their dreams. Jeanne Moeller, my mother-in-law, provided feedback on drafts and brought to bear her formidable copy-editing skills. Finally, a special thank you to my older sister, Tammy Lechner, who showed me the power of storytelling through her acclaimed career in photojournalism. I express my deepest appreciation for my advisory committee members. Dr. David Zonderman, the committee chair, guided me while shepherding NC State’s History Department through innumerable challenges including a global pandemic. His experience and wisdom helped me turn abstract ideas into concrete historical arguments. Dr. Katherine Mellen Charron pushed me to transcend my self-imposed limits. From the smallest detail to the most fundamental claims, the fruits of her insight appear in every part of this dissertation. Dr. Akram Khater, an expert in the daunting field of migrations studies, challenged me to think deeply about the ways a single neighborhood connects to larger collectives and ideas. He also made it possible for the Moises A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies to iii fund a key research trip. Finally, Drs. Shea McManus and Dru McGill showed me the merits of anthropological theory and methodology. Book II’s style and substance reflects their advice. Several scholars outside my advisory committee deserve mention for their contributions to my intellectual development. Drs. Charles Bolton and Greg O’Brien guided me through my M.A. experience at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. They taught me to think like a historian and showed faith in my ability to continue my academic journey. Dr. Tammy Gordon, NC State’s Director of Public History, modeled how to build and nurture relationships between the academy and history-making and history-consuming publics. Dr. Craig Friend of NC State and Dr. Watson Jennison of UNCG helped improve my writing. Dr. Herb Strentz, my mentor at Drake University, once told me that pursuing truth is a quest without end requiring courage and humility, a lesson I have carried with me ever since. Many colleagues enhanced my experience at NC State. Marilyn McHugh Drath taught an old dog new tricks with respect to research and technology. She also possesses an unrivaled ability to cut through the mental clutter to establish conceptual frameworks, chronological logic, and narrative elegance. I trust that our bond of friendship will endure beyond the temporal limits of this project and I look forward to attending her dissertation defense. My work also benefitted from the advice of Dr. Megan Tewell, a recent graduate of NC State’s public history program, and Lisa Withers, who will soon defend her dissertation. Thank you, also, to Derrick Kay and Tyler Ellis, both of whom made my time in Wolfpack nation memorable and fun. I wish to acknowledge the archivists and other professionals who broadened this project’s evidentiary scope. I especially thank Kate Feighery, director of the Archdiocese of New York’s Archives and Records, and Dwight Johnson, of the New York City Municipal Archives. I extend the Hungarian expression “nagyon szépen köszönöm,” meaning thank you very much, to Olga Cupp, who translated primary sources from Hungarian to English. Her work helped me to understand the perspectives of key historical actors within Hungarian Yorkville. iv In closing, I thank all those women and men connected to Yorkville’s ethnic past who shared their time and stories, most notably Kathryn Jolowicz, the Yorkville historian, and Viktor Fischer, one of Hungarian New York’s leading figures. Jolowicz provided me with a front row seat to observe and analyze the heritage afterlives of German Yorkville. Fischer helped to ensure the accuracy of Hungarian names and terms and offered insight into Hungarian culture and history. Ethnic Yorkville lives on through the spirit and sacrifice of women and men such as this. Lastly, I note the hospitality of Katrina Dengler, the president of the Kolping House, who made it possible to stay in Manhattan during multiple research trips. It has been an honor to spend time in Yorkville and I look forward to maintaining a relationship with this special slice of New York City. v BIOGRAPHY Steven E. B. Lechner, a Ph.D. candidate in Public History, authored this dissertation entitled “Recalling Ethnic Yorkville: The

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