HPS has its roots in the steering committee of the 1989 icon exhibition held in conjunction with the Cleveland Museum of Art, called Holy Image, Holy Space. At the steering committee’s final meeting after the exhibition, the group decided not to disband, instead opting to form a society that could take on any number of such worthy projects. After subsequent planning meetings, The Hellenic Preservation Society of Northeastern Ohio was formed to preserve and promote Hellenic culture in Ohio, though it was not until May 22, 1992, that the IRS formally approved its tax-exempt status. The first major project of HPSNEO was the restoration of more than 30 aging icons from the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Cleveland.
In the decades since, HPS has actively promoted Hellenic culture through an assortment of educational, cultural, artistic, athletic, culinary, and social programs designed to elevate the awareness of Greeks to their own culture in its various facets. Additionally, HPS collects and preserves appropriate items and artifacts donated by Greeks in Northeastern Ohio. These include investments in the restoration of religious iconography, donated liturgical items, the preservation of Greek textiles, embroideries, and costumes, and collections of archival photographs, household goods, and jewelry. This is an ongoing activity.
In 1994, HPS assumed the management of the Greek Cultural Garden, which today is a member of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation. This Federation manages the collection of 35 ethnic gardens along MLK Blvd. in Cleveland, located on 276 acres of wooded parkland known
as Rockefeller Park. In late 2023 the Greek Garden Association of Cleveland became a separate 501(c)3 tax entity, independent of HPS. HPS and GGAC collaborate in support of Hellenic educational, culture and other activities.
Setting history aside, not easily done for a culture as deeply enriched as ours, HPS views its American experience as an opportunity for personal and societal growth. By embracing Greek philosophy, art, and democratic principles, we can cultivate a more thoughtful, esthetically pleasing, and unified country.
HELLENIC PRESERVATION SOCIETY 