Proposals for the vacant Turtle Building in Niagara Falls has long been a local discussion, but it's now reached national attention.
The Niagara Falls icon, which has been closed since 1995, is on the list of "America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places." The National Trust for Historic Preservation assembles the "Endangered List" each year to highlight the "threats facing some of the nation's greatest treasures." The 2025 edition can be found here.
Choosing sites to advocate for, like The Turtle, means finding places with significance, but also having community members who care, says Di Gao, the National Trust's senior director of research and development.
“People see our history as our strength, and there is a place for it in our future. New York is often a place that's changing rapidly, and the market context shifts," she said. "I think what we're seeing is a very homegrown, organic effort that realizes how special our history is.”
The designation inspires feelings of pride because it shows how much recognition there is, but also sadness because it shows the situation’s serious nature, says Friends of The Turtle Board President Shaun Wilson, Mohawk, Turtle Clan.
"It's been sitting empty for nearly 30 years. I recall seeing the sun shine through the eagle skylight hitting the traditional quill box design star of red oak and maple as the dancers came in for grand entry," he said. "That was something to see, and I'm hopeful that today's announcement will get us closer to when that can be seen again."
Located at 25 Rainbow Boulevard and constructed in 1981, "The Turtle" served as a cultural center for the Native American community and was the largest center for Indigenous arts in the Eastern United States.
There is a precedent for focusing on notable Indigenous architecture. One Native site made the list last year and another in 2020, which illustrates a national desire to preserve Indigenous culture, Gao said.
"It's such an important part of our nation's founding, our nation's heritage. And we, we are really focused on telling a complex and layered story about our heritage," she said. "We think, as a people that makes us stronger, and people want to understand that history."
Of the 350-plus sites listed over the years among the "Most Endangered Historic Places," only a few have been lost, Gao said.
In addition to The Turtle, The Wellington Hotel in the Catskills region is also on the list of 11 Endangered Places.
Back in November, James Baptiste, a local architect who is part of the Mohawk Nation, sat down with BTPM NPR reporters Ryan Zunner and Alex Simone on “What’s Next?”, to discuss efforts to save the building.
The full “What’s Next?” interview with James Baptiste can be found here.
