Gouverneur’s bandstand razed to make way for new one

GOUVERNEUR, New York (WWNY) - A landmark in downtown Gouverneur is now gone. The village bandstand was torn down Thursday to make way for a new one.

It’s one of many projects for the village park.

“The center of downtown will see a lot of unusual activity this year. It’s going to be an abnormal year not only with the bandstand gazebo, but other work is going on to make improvements to the park,” said village Mayor Ron McDougall.

He says the legacy of longtime village resident A. Eleanor Jackson will live on thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Northern New York Community Foundation that allowed the bandstand work to start.

Jackson worked for Gouverneur-based Kinney Drugs and its foundation. She passed away in 2002 and, through her estate, left a permanent source of funding to help the Gouverneur area.

The old bandstand was host to many events and occasions throughout the years in Gouverneur. Gouverneur’s library manager, Greta Shrader, says one event that she remembers the most was when everyone gathered in the village park in the aftermath of 9/11.

“Just when everyone was going through all that terrible week, I can’t remember who organized it, but there was a get-together in the village park and it was a very nice moment of coming together as a town,” she said.

The bandstand just taken down was there for 47 years. It was built in 1976 to commemorate the nation’s bicentennial.

The new bandstand, the village’s fourth, will be built by October.

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