Harlan National Guard Armory (former) – Harlan KY

Description

KY.gov:
“The first armory in Harlan was constructed … by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). … The building is located in Sunshine, across a bridge and next to the railroad tracks outside downtown Harlan. The building is a two-story poured concrete building with attached drill hall. The front of the armory has been painted green, and a handicapped-accessible ramp was added to the front of the building in 1996. The walls are 12 inch thick and steel-reinforced, and the facade has elements of the Art Deco style around the entrance, with its linear lines and vertical, stepped ornamentation. The building still has its original plaque in the entrance hall, which gives the date of erection, the architect (Edd R. Gregg), and the engineer, Preston S. Sinton. John A. Polin was the Adjutant General. The original, double wooden front doors are still on the building, and another set of original, double wooden front doors with original hardware and locks are located inside the entrance. The armory was used by the Kentucky National Guard until 1979, when they moved into the new armory on U.S. 421. The old armory was given to the county, and managed by the Harlan County Fiscal Court, which still owns the building but leases it to the Community Action Agency, which pays for any improvements.”