ONEIDA (NBC 26) — The Oneida Nation breaks ground on a new location for their museum. The more than $15 million project is expected to be done in 2026.
- Watch the Oneida Nation break ground on the site of their new museum, the former Woodland Church on Airport Drive.
- The current museum on County Highway EE will be open until the new location can be opened to the public.
- Hear why the museum's director says spaces like this are important.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
The former Woodland Church here will be the site of the new Oneida Nation Museum. I'm your Oneida neighborhood reporter Pari Apostolakos here on why this multi-million dollar project is a long time coming.
The Oneida Nation Museum is moving down the street and getting a makeover.
"We are going from 500 square feet of exhibit gallery space at the old museum to over 20,000 square feet of gallery space," Oneida Nation Museum Director Stacy Coon said at the groundbreaking Tuesday.
Coon said the museum's collection has grown exponentially since it first opened on County Highway EE more than 40 years ago thanks to a bicentennial grant.
The new location will cost more than $15 million, which chairman Tehassi Hill says is being funded by the tribe.
"The space for display is very important but [it also] is important to have community gathering space as well, be able to demonstrate you know, black ash basket making or pottery," Hill said.
There will also be more room for student groups and others to take trips to the museum.
Coon says it is important to have spaces like this to share the Oneida culture.
"When we share our culture we help dispel stereotypes and people learn a lot more," she said. "There's a lot of teaching moments that can happen in cultural centers."
The current museum space will be open until the new one is ready for visitors. But, Chairman Hill says he does not know what will be done with the original museum building afterward.
The tribe expects the new museum to be open in the spring of 2026. On the Oneida reservation, Pari Apostolakos, NBC 26.
