>>> THERE ARE TIMES IN OUR LIVES THAT WE
WILL NEVER FORGET: MOMENTS THAT CHANGED OUR WORLD, SHAPED
WHO WE ARE, AND AFTER THEY HAPPENED, THINGS WERE NEVER
THE SAME AGAIN.
THEY ARE THE EVENTS THAT ROCKED THE REGION.
IN THE FINAL INSTALLMENT OF OUR SERIES TONIGHT, WE TAKE A LOOK
AT THE CLOSING OF SPRAGUE ELECTRIC, ONE OF THE LARGEST
EMPLOYERS IN THE CITY OF NORTH WHILE ITS CLOSURE DEVASTATED TH
NORTHERN BERKSHIRE ECONOMY, OUT OF ITS ASHES CAME MASS MOCA --
ONE OF THE LARGEST CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUMS IN THE COUNTRY, AND
A NEW AND DIFFERENT ECONOMY.
I TOOK A TRIP TO NORTH ADAMS TO
BRING YOU THE STORY.
>> WHEN SPRAYING ELECTRIC COMPANY ARRIVED IN NORTH
ADAMS, IT WAS SOMETHING OF A SAVIOR SAYS PAUL MORENO.
>> IT CAME IN IN 1929 MONTHS BEFORE THE STOCK MARKET CRASH.
AS THE TEXTILE MILLS WERE MOVING OUT, IT TOOK OVER
LITERALLY JUST ABOUT EVERY MILL IN THE CITY..
>> SPRAGUE MILL CAME IN AND WOULD EMPLOY 4100 PEOPLE BUT
AS COMPETITION ABROAD INCREASED, THEY COULDN'T CUT
IT AND CLOSED THEIR PLANT HERE IN 1985.
CHARLIE KELLY SPENT HIS ENTIRE CAREER AS A SPRAGUE ELECTRIC
COMPANY MACHINIST.
>> WE SUPPORTED THE PRODUCTION PEOPLE MAKING JIGS, YOU KNOW,
ANYTHING TO HELP THEM WITH THEIR DAY-TO-DAY WORK.
>> MUCH OF THAT WORK WAS BUILDING CAPACITORS.
>> THE CAPACITORS ARE STORAGE OF ELECTRICITY AND SPRAGUE WAS
THE COMPANY BECAUSE IT WAS A COMBINATION OF MACHINE WORK,
PLUMBERS, WORKSHOPS, VERY FEW MEN.
>> IT HAD IT UPS AND DOWNS
THROUGH UPSIZING AND DOWN SIZING AND WAS THERE WHEN THEY
CLOSED THEIR DOORS.
THE NEWLY ELECTED MAYOR WAS AMONG THOSE GRAPPLING WITH THE
IMPACT.
>> THEY SAID THEY WOULDN'T BLAME ME IN SIX MONTHS IF HE
JUST SHUT OFF THE LIGHTS AND LEFT THE KEYS AT CITY HALL.
SPRAGUE WAS A DOMINATING EFFECT FOR 50 YEARS, THEY
DOMINATED THIS AREA AND THE ECONOMY.
>> MORE THAN 30 YEARS LATER, POPULATION, ABOUT 13,000
PEOPLE, HAVE NOT RECOVERED.
AND UNEMPLOYMENT IN NORTH ADAMS IS STILL NEARLY DOUBLE
THE STATEWIDE AVERAGE OF 3 .5 PERCENT.
THE TROUBLE AT SPRAGUE WAS COMPOUNDED IN THE COMMUNITY AS
OTHER MANUFACTURING COMPANIES IN THE REGION HAD CUTBACKS OR
CLOSED.
>> YOU ADD THAT ALL UP AND WE'RE LOOKING AT A LOSS OF
2500 TO 3000 JOBS OVER A 18-MONTH PERIOD.
>> IT WAS CATACLYSMIC, LIKE A NEUTRON BOMB LANDING DOWN
TOWN.
>> BUT THE FALLOUT WAS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA, ONE
WHERE THE HUM OF MACHINES WAS REPLACED BY THE RELATIVE HUSH
OF A MUSEUM.
>> MY FIRST RESPONSE WAS OH, MY GOD, THIS PLACE IS HUGE,
THIS IS CRAZED.
>> BUT IT WAS PRECISELY THE TYPE OF CRAZY THAT COULD THEN
FIT THE BOLD AND UNHEARD OF VISION FOR THE LARGEST
CONTEMPORARY MUSEUMS IN THE COUNTRY IN ONE OF THE SMALLEST
CITIES IN THE STATE.
IT WOULD TAKE IT 13 YEARS TO GO FROM IDEA TO OPENING AND
LAST YEAR, MASS MOCA RENOVATED MORE OF THE SPRAGUE SITE.
>> WE WERE JUST SETTLING INTO THIS RED HULKING CAMPUS WE
OCCUPY AND IT IS ALL ABOUT SPACE AND TIME.
WE'RE STILL KNOCKING OUT OF WOOD AND DON'T KNOW WHERE THE
WAVE AND CYCLE ENDS BUT NEARLY DOUBLED OUR ATTENDANCE IN THE
PAST 18 MONTHS OR SO BUT WE'RE ENCOURAGED, FEELING LIKE THE
MUSEUM HAS FOUND ITS FOOTING AND NORTH ADAMS FEELING LIKE A
MUCH MORE ROBUST, HEALTHY COMMUNITY THAN WHEN WE FIRST
ARRIVED.
>> BUT SOME HAVE BEEN CRITICAL OF THE LEADERS SAYING THE
MUSEUM IS TOO INSULAR AND THAT COMPANYS HAVE NOT BENEFITTED
AS THEY DID FROM IT THE SPRAGUE EMPLOYEES.
>> OUR JOB IS TO CONDUCT A WELL-PERFORMING MUSEUM AND
GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY.
>> AND WHILE IT HAS NOT BEEN A FACT-ACTING ING ECONOMIC
IMPACT, THEY ARE STARTING TO FIND THEIR FEET.
>> I THINK IT WILL BE ABLE TO DO THAT BUT IT WILL TAKE A LOT
OF HARD WORK.
IT IS JUST STARTING TO BE SHOULD BE.