Armories Sites

Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) workers dramatically improved the old Salem Armory, now National Park Service Regional Visitor Center, in Salem, Mass. WPA Bulletin: WPA workers are changing the Salem armory from a drab, neglected structure to a modern, well-kept building. A lighting system comparable with that of the Boston Garden has been installed. The building has been painted and the obsolete, dust-covered gas fixtures have been removed. A ramp will be constructed to allow motorized equipment to enter the building. There will also be a new roof on the boiler house, showers on the second floor and modernization of the lavatories. A DoD Historic...

The Sheboygan Armory and Auditorium was built in 1941 by the New Deal's Works Progress Administration (WPA). The Supervising Architect was Edgar Stubenrauch, based in Sheboygan. Architectural Features: The two-story structure is representative of the Streamline Moderne/WPA Moderne style. The façade construction consists of precast concrete panels decorated with Art Deco motifs. Typical of the WPA Moderne style, the architectural ornamentation is minimal. Ornamented precast panels are placed primarily at the window headers and the cornice. The structure occupies a site located in the vicinity of Lake Michigan. National Significance: The structure is a good candidate for National Register of Historic Places registration under...

This large armory in downtown Sperry was constructed by the WPA, and is now used for other public purposes: "Guard unit members mustered out to WWII from this store front location in September 1940, but returned to a sprawling new WPA-built armory that had been dedicated in 1941 on the site of the old town baseball field.  The armory building housed various military units until 1990, and in 1991 the complex was deeded to the Town of Sperry by Tulsa County commissioners.  Town offices were immediately moved into the facility, where they have remained.  In 2007, taxpayers funded a $500,000 remodel...

The Springfield Armory began "as a major arsenal under the authority of General George Washington early in the Revolutionary War" and "began manufacturing muskets in 1794." (www.nps.gov.) Renovation and repair was conducted under the Works Progress Administration (WPA), including razing some building and replacing others with fireproof structures, as well as strengthening and repairing the floors. The details—including description, Official Project Numbers, total costs, and sponsors—of more than two dozen W.P.A. projects undertaken at the historic armory can be found in the DoD Heritage Assessment cited below.

"The State Armory is located on West Main Street, at the northeast corner of Osage Avenue. This is one block west of Broadway (Highway 75). The building is constructed of native sandstone, with an office area facing Main Street, and a barrel-roof arena to the north. It was constructed in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration. A cornerstone at the southeast corner reads: STATE ARMORY / BUILT BY WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION 1936 / W.S. KEY STATE ADMINISTRATOR. The building exterior is in good condition, however, all windows have been boarded up and it is not in use at this time."   (https://www.waymarking.com)

"The formidable native sandstone building located at 715 W. Chickasha Avenue was built in 1936 by the WPA. It was the home of the 189th Field Artillery. A photo in the gallery shows the armory as it was in the 1950s. Where today a YMCA sign is erected, formerly, the 45th Infantry "Thunderbird" proudly emblazoned the front of this building. In 1936, the American Legion Post No. 54 also called this building home. Today it houses the Chickasha Area YMCA. Where four large overhead doors flanked the main entrance, those areas are now infilled with glass blocks. A metal plaque on the...

This armory was built by the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA). The WPA cornerstone on the building shows the year 1936. The Idabel Armory is a one-story native stone building. It is currently used as a bus barn by the local school district.

"The Minco Armory was constructed in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration... The Minco Armory is a one and two-story brick building, with a barrel-roof drill hall at the rear. The front entrance is a single metal door, recessed under an arched surround that has six rows of corbelled brick. The entrance is flanked by four overhead doors, one of which has been bricked in. The armory is decorated by the use of angled and recessed brickwork, with rusticated stone coping and caps. Also known as the Minco National Guard Armory, this building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places...

The Works Progress Administration built the State Armory in Weatherford OK. Contributor Note: The armory building is located on the northeast corner of S. 8th Street and W. Rainey. The main entrance faces south on Rainey. The WPA constructed this armory in 1936-7. It is a one-story red brick building with heavy white stone trim. The entrance on the south is a single glass door and sidelight within a limestone surround, flanked by projecting brick pilasters. A raised pediment trimmed in stone rises above it. The windows are tall vertical units with three panes and heavy stone sills. The south portion of the armory...

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted improvement work at Ogdensburg's historic State Armory building.

W.P.A. improvements to the Governor William A. O'Neill State Armory in Hartford, CT included the following projects sponsored by the Quartermaster General's Department: Paint Armory Official Project Number: 165‐15‐2072 Total project cost: $4,449.00 Repair and improve Armory building Official Project Number: 165‐15‐2100 Total project cost: $14,493.00 Paint interior of armory Official Project Number: 465‐15‐2‐75 Total project cost: $13,224.00 And this project, sponsored by the State Armory Commission: Construct hangar, office building, concrete walls, and steel roof Official Project Number: 65‐15‐7533 Total project cost: $91,967.00

The Works Progress Administration built a garage for the State Armory of Mounted Commands in Providence. The location and status of this project is presently unknown to Living New Deal.

Also known as the National Guard Armory, the Sulphur Armory stands vacant today at 500 W Wynnewood Ave, Sulphur, OK. Placed on the National Register in 1994, it is an outstanding example of the work of the Works Progress Administration.

"Built at a cost of approximately $32,000, and designed by Bryan W. Nolan, this armory was completed in 1937 using WPA labor. It consists of a one-story administrative wing, and a large barrel-roofed drill hall. The armory is built of uncoursed, squared white and tan polychromatic sandstone in a castle-like style....   "The administrative wing has a flat roof, with a stepped roof line and entrance which is slightly projected. The main entrance has double aluminum and glass doors, with the entrance and flanking windows having black cloth awnings. Some of the tall, narrow windows have the original steel frames and 2-over-4...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) was a primary funding source for the construction of the Teaneck Armory. "Completed in 1936 at a cost of nearly $1 million, the Teaneck Armory -- with its 37-foot-high arching roof -- has played a valuable role not just in the current war on terrorism, but also during peacetime. Sitting on 13.66 acres, the brick-and-stone structure was built by Depression-era laborers. They each spent only two days a week on the job because the government stretched the project to keep people employed as long as possible."   (https://www.teaneck.org/) The WPA was involved in a minor capacity at the site, constructing...

The Union City Armory was undertaken in Union City, Tennessee during the Great Depression with the assistance of the Public Works Administration (PWA). The rare PWA funded Armory was constructed in "restrained Art Deco" (Van West, p. 87) style for a total cost of $30,000. The armory fulfilled both military and local community functions, serving as the base of Company K, 117th Infantry Regiment of the National Guard during World War II as well as hosting community events. The armory became private property in 1980.

The Armory, now part of the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, was originally constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project in 1936. The PWA supplied an $18,000 grant for the then-National Guard armory, whose total cost was $42,544. Primary construction began in January and was completed in December 1936. The project is sometimes mis-attributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA), including on a historic information board outside the building's entrance. Once it had fulfilled its original purpose the facility served as an auditorium for what was then the nearby Blacksburg High School. Per VT.edu, the Armory was...

The historic Waynesboro Armory "was built in 1938, and is a one-story, "I"-plan brick building in the Moderne style. It consists of three sections: administration building, drill hall, and stable. Its construction was funded in part by the Public Works Administration." The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $30,000 grant for the project, whose total cost was $93,485. PWA Docket No. 1821.

The WPA provided assistance in repairing and otherwise improving the Ninth Regiment / West 14th Street Armory in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. The building is no longer extant. "The (22nd) Twenty-Second Regiment / 14th Street Armory (1863) building was replaced with the (9th) Ninth Regiment / West 14th Street Armory (1894-1896) building, which was later replaced by (42nd) Forty-Second Division / West 14th Street Armory (1971) building, which in turn was replaced by a mix use structure, all on the same site." (Wikipedia)

"The Old West Palm Beach National Guard Armory (also known as the Palm Beach County Armory) is a historic site in West Palm Beach, Florida, United States. It is located at 1703 South Lake Avenue. On June 11, 1992, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The Armory building was constructed in 1939 in Art Deco style by architect William Manley King with Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds. It was occupied by the National Guard Armory from 1939-1982."