- City:
- McComb, MS
- Site Type:
- Armories, Military and Public Safety
- New Deal Agencies:
- Work Relief Programs, Works Progress Administration (WPA)
- Started:
- 1936
- Completed:
- 1938
- Quality of Information:
- Good
- Site Survival:
- No Longer Extant
Description
McComb’s municipal auditorium/city armory/gymnasium on Virginia Avenue served as the armory for Company L, 155th infantry from 1938-1940 (MDAH/Historic Resources Inventory). Constructed by the Work Progress Administration between 1936-1938, the facility was destroyed by fire in 1952. Work on the field house was begun in July 1936, and within a few weeks, the gymnasium and armory components were added. Work was suspended December 1936 when the facility was 30% complete. A February 1937 news item indicated “work will be resumed on the long stagnated combination Field House, Gymnasium and Armory building” (To resume work, p. 1). A. J. Spradlin was the WPA construction supervisor. McComb Lumber and Coal Company secured the contract for supplying mortar mix. Brick was provided by Brookhaven Pressed Brick Company.
Source notes
Mississippi Department of Archives & History. Historic Resources Inventory database. Retrieved from https://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/Public/rpt.aspx?rpt=publicPropSearch&Name=&StreetNo=&StreetName=&City=McComb&County=Any
Apply for 3 WPA projects at Southwest. (Sep. 9, 1935). Enterprise-Journal, p. 1.; 27 projects from the Pike area sent into Washington. (Sep. 10, 1935). Semi-Weekly Journal, p. 23.; To resume work on Gym-Armory in 10 days. (Feb. 24, 1937). Enterprise-Journal, p. 1.; Resume construction of gym. (Feb. 24, 1937). McComb Daily Journal, p. 1.; Wall, Kramer, Miller confer on W. P. A. (Apr. 14, 1937). Enterprise-Journal, p. 1.; Vaudeville and dance are offered at Armory Friday. (Apr. 20, 1938). Enterprise-Journal, p. 1.; Enterprise-Journal, Sep. 24, 1952, p. 1.; Enterprise-Journal, Mar. 31, 1972, p. 95.
Site originally submitted by Susan Allen on October 20, 2019.
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