Community Building Demolition Plans Strike a Nerve

(Akwesasne) It’s not every day you go to a meeting and learn that the building it’s being held in is slated for destruction. But that is exactly what happened on Saturday morning.

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council disclosed at their December meeting that the Community Building—the place where everyone was gathered—is slated to be torn down.

This did not go over well with community members, including at least two former chiefs.

The Community Building has stood since the 1970s. It is scheduled to be torn down to make way for an addition to the St. Regis Mohawk Health Services building as well as an expanded parking lot.

Most tribal government offices will be relocated to new headquarters under construction behind the St. Regis Mohawk Seniors Center. This new facility was discussed in detail by the Tribe’s Capital Projects Manager, Colleen Thomas.

Former Tribal Chief Norman Tarbell expressed dismay that the council was planning to tear down the existing building, which he said was perfectly fine.

Thomas replied that this was not the case, that a review had been done of the building that highlighted its many structural deficiencies. Of primary concern was the second floor, which had poor ventilation and was inaccessible to wheelchairs. They made note of temperature variations from office to office throughout the building.

Tarbell’s comments were echoed by former chief Barbara Lazore and others. It was noted that there were many groups in the community that would use the building if changes could be made.

The tribal council has other plans. The addition to the health services building will house

programs geared to the community. This means more cars, and more cars need more parking. The old HQ stands in the way.

It is easy to see how the news might upset the older generation of chiefs. The author was a kid when the building went up. At first, it did not have the second floor and had a very large open area. I remember attending several large gatherings there. Eventually, a second floor was put in for classrooms for Mater Dei College extension courses and the offices of a growing tribal government.

The building is noted for having the general shape of an old Mohawk longhouse, but I have never found out if that was intentional. I say this because the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council was at odds with the traditional “Longhouse” in the days when the Community Building was constructed. Large buildings with arched and rounded roofs were actually fairly common back then. The Massena Arena is another one that comes to mind.

Before the Community Building went up, the chiefs met in an old building to the west of the existing structure. It housed our library, a museum, a medical clinic, a pharmacy, and a dental clinic. The chiefs and the community met in a room full of tall, wooden chairs. On weekends they would show cartoons and movies in that room for free. We kids would sit in those uncomfortable chairs and watch the show.

With new facilities constructed for the library, museum, and health services, the old wooden “council house” was torn down and paved over for a parking lot - the same fate that awaits its replacement.

It is easy to appreciate the reluctance of some to see the Community Building go. Forty-some years are not a long life for a building that was built to last by men who took pride in their work. But there is probably much more to it than a builder’s pride, there is the history of it as a center of political power. It is also a place where people came to work every day, where friendships and bonds were made, where people had a chance to serve their community. There was, and is, laughter in those winding hallways, and people will miss the big old house and its many memories when it is gone.