The Turtle speaks

The Niagara Falls Historical Preservation Commission heard last night from a legion of supporters lauding the historical significance of the Turtle, a building that has sought idle for decades and is currently owned by Niagara Falls Redevelopment.

The Commission heard advocates for the Rainbow Boulevard landmark receive an Historic Landmark Designation. The final decision rests with the Niagara Falls City Council.

Public support expressed Thursday was nearly unanimous. In addition, Commission Chairman Brett Doster said it had received 512 letters in favor from individuals as well as 6 letters from organizations.

The most demonstrative, emotional and effective speakers of the hearing may have been a group of Niagara Falls High School students who wore ribbon garb they learned to make from educator Jessica Forgette, a Cayuga Nation member and Falls resident who said she grew up running around the Turtle and learning her culture from elders there.

Forgette, who teaches English, said she didn’t tell her students what to say but helped them with language and punctuation.

The students who spoke included Kobe Rickard of the Tuscarora Turtle Clan, Conner Ground, Michaela Doreen, Addison Moore and Emma Santos.

They talked with a parallel voice about the need for a sense of place and acceptance for their history and voice and the continuance of their culture in the historically significant building.

The commission also received a letter from Niagara Falls Redevelopment noting that the property is 45 years old and 50 is the generally accepted age limit for Historic Designation. Indeed, the letter said almost every property in the city on the National Register of Historic Places is at least 100 years old.

One of the first speakers of the night was Saladin Allah of the Niagara Falls Heritage Area and Underground Railroad History Museum which is housed in the former Customs House.

“The Customs House was sitting idle since 1863 but you can go there tomorrow,” Allah said.

Gerald Skrlin, who lives in a historically designated downtown property, told the commission he supports preserving the Turtle but wonders how they can make a difference when his house is defiled by construction storage trailers associated with Cambria Hotel construction and city government seems unconcerned.

Bernice Radle, executive director of Preservation Buffalo Niagara and a Niagara Falls native who grew up on Cedar Avenue said her organization received more than 1200 letters in support of preservation. She told the commission her organization for the first time has a Niagara Falls liaison Emily Jarnot who lives in the city.

“In our preservation career, we have never seen this level of support,” she said. “The closest we have seen is 500 letters and that was for a big grain elevator.”

Jordan Smith, a Mohawk, lives in the Tuscarora nation and works as an interpretive guide at Fort Niagara. He attended Niagara Falls High School and said he didn’t learn to speak native language until he was an adult. He dances and shares culture and hears from visitors a dying need to learn more that could be filled by a reimagined Turtle which is an important part of his personal story. Smith greeted and departed in Tuscarora language and wore the apparel in which he dances and shares.

“For me, I don’t have a memory that doesn’t include this building,” he said. “. . . The more you learn about me the less likely you are to make an ignorant assumption.”

Niagara Falls Councilman Donta Myles did not sign up to speak but addressed the podium after Doster opened the floor for speakers who didn’t sign up.

Myles lamented the loss of numerous community assets to incompetent government and suggested the best path to preservation is a plan involving community engagement and economic feasibility.