It appears the Sykora Bakery legacy in Cedar Rapids’ Czech Village has come to an end.
According to an online listing, Backes Auctioneers are conducting an online auction of the bakery’s equipment. The online auction ends Feb. 20 at 10 a.m.
“The closure of this beloved scratch bakery marks the end of an era,” the auction firm wrote in a sale description. “With new owners at the helm, need everything sold from the 12 pan baking oven to the 20 & 60 qt. mixers, Erika bun divider rounder and Acme 8 sheeter. Also includes Bakers’ tables, pastry cases, ice cream dip cabinet, refrigerated topping rail, 1 & 2 door coolers, and countless other bakery support items along with collectibles are up for grabs.”
The iconic Sykora Bakery, at 73 16th Ave. SW in the heart of Czech Village, was purchased in July 2023 and, after remodeling, briefly reopened as a bakery in September 2023 before closing again just days later. The bakery subsequently never reopened.
The Sykora building and property was then sold Dec. 15, 2023 by its then-owners, John and Susan Rocarek, for $290,000. The buyer was listed as “KN Properties 3 LLC.” Plans for the building remain unclear.
According to a Homegrown Iowan article, Charles and Anna Kosek opened the first Czech bakery in the building in 1903. Joseph Sykora, who worked for the Koseks, bought the business in 1927, and he and his wife, Clara, owned and operated Sykora Bakery for nearly 40 years, followed by their sons, Lumir and Lester Sykora. Lumir died in 1969, and Lester continued operating the bakery until just weeks before his death in 1994.
Don Janda then operated Sykora Bakery before John and Sue Rocarek purchased the business in 2001.
The flood of 2008 created many changes for the bakery, as floodwaters rose 8.5 feet inside the building. Hundreds of volunteers contributed over 2,500 hours to restore the bakery, and Iowa Gov. Chet Culver presided over a ceremony celebrating the bakery’s reopening in April 2009.
