The 1928 building could come down next year. (PAST, Inc.)

After a protracted battle, a monument to one of America's oldest fraternal organizations may soon be demolished to restore an even older, more sacred resource: a tribal burial ground.

In August, a state commission decreed that the 1928 Masonic Temple in Norwich, Conn.,—a massive neoclassical building with fluted columns and elaborate details—could come down so that the Mohegan Nation can reclaim land it has long considered desecrated. The tribe's 17th-century leader, Uncas, and others are buried on the 3.4-acre site, but a 19th-century monument to Uncas has been the only prominent indication of the site's tribal history. Both the temple and the burial ground are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as contributing resources in the Chelsea Parade historic district.

"While I think the Masonic Temple is a magnificent building," says Bruce Clouette, a senior historian with PAST, Inc., "my research indicates that the Mohegan claim to this property as their traditional burying ground is very well documented in the historical record. They have been fighting for this land at least since 1800." At the tribe's request, Clouette recently completed a historical, architectural, and photographic documentation of the temple property (now archived at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center at the University of Connecticut in Storrs).

(PAST, Inc.)

In 1659, Uncas sold nine square miles of tribal land to Norwich's founders but set aside the burial ground. Early land deeds mention the tribe's right to continue to access and use the cemetery, and for years, settlers generally complied with the tribe's wish that it remain untouched. Despite tribal protests and lawsuits, however, residential and commercial development encroached on the property in the 19th century, and newspaper accounts and a Norwich history book indicate that Mohegan remains and artifacts were regularly disturbed and destroyed.

"It's been a source of sadness that our burial grounds were desecrated," says Lynn Malerba, vice chairwoman of the tribal council, formed in October. "Our elders told stories of our bones being burned, our bones being stolen, our bones being thrown into the river. It's a site that holds a lot of tribal grief. So the tribe views [the state's approval of demolition] as acknowledgement that something horrific happened at that site. We now need to have a thorough conversation about it and make sure we make the right decisions."

The nine-member council, which is being debriefed on the Masonic Temple issue, is considering demolition as a possible alternative. If demolition occurs, the Mohegans have stated their desire to create a "memory pile," an Indian architectural rock formation, on the site of the building and repatriate tribal remains from other locations.

In the late 19th century, the local Masons, along with many other fraternal organizations, were gaining popularity. Masonic groups provided kinship, exclusivity, and social structures for men (and women, through auxiliary groups). In 1928, when the Norwich Masons outgrew their small 1893 clubhouse, the Masonic Temple Corporation commissioned the local architecture firm of Cudworth and Thompson to design the current temple on the burial grounds. Combining Greek and Roman elements, the four-story rectangular building has a prominent central projection, featuring six Ionic columns and twin double-doorways topped with intricate transoms. Several cryptic Masonic ornaments also adorn exterior walls.

"The Masonic order in those days was a very strong organization, and if they wanted to do something, it was done," says Bill Stanley, president of the Norwich Historical Society. "For many years, the building was the social center of Norwich."

Auditorium curtain (PAST, Inc.)

The richly detailed interior, which includes meeting rooms and a ballroom, was particularly famous for its 800-seat auditorium. Both the Masons and local community groups used the theater for movies, concerts, and other events. In 1949, New York businessman Herb Kneeder leased the auditorium to launch the Norwich Summer Theater, a five-year venture that drew major stars such as Veronica Lake, Burl Ives, Angela Lansbury, and Charles Laughton.

By the 1960s, however, the Masons, like most fraternal groups, began to wane. Fire code violations shuttered the auditorium in 1988, although the building continued to be used by declining numbers of Masons. Finally, unable to maintain the building, the Masonic Temple Corporation sold it to the city of Norwich in 1995, and the Masons vacated the premises. The city, in turn, sold the property to the Mohegan tribe in 1999 for about $1 million.

"I am somewhat upset by this whole process," says Robert Stika, Grand Lodge officer for the 8th Masonic district of Connecticut. "We have an emotional attachment to the building, having lived there so long. That said, based on the declining membership in all fraternities, they may have done us a favor in buying us out." Local Masonic lodges have already salvaged furniture and other materials from the building for use elsewhere.

The temple carriage house's fate is also uncertain. (PAST, Inc.)

Initially, the tribe worked with the city and other groups to explore an adaptive reuse for the building, such as a museum or technology and communications center. But the tribe balked at the upgrades and further destruction to underground graves that such a reuse would require, however, and eventually sought approval to demolish the building and reclaim the site as its Royal Burial Ground.

The Norwich Bulletin continues to receive letters to the editor protesting the probable loss of the building. But many locals agree that the Mohegans have waited long enough to reclaim their sacred ground.

"It definitely is a loss," says Bill Stanley. "But it's the loss of memories more than anything else, because in its heyday, the temple functioned as a vital part of the city. Everybody who goes by remembers shows they saw there or weddings they attended, but the building hasn't been functional for many years. It played a great part, but the curtain has come down."

Kim O'Connell is a freelance writer based in Arlington, Va.

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