Jamestown Armory - Jamestown, New York - Military Installations on Waymarking.com

The Jamestown Armory, built in 1932 for the Co. E, 174th Infantry, is architecturally and historically significant as a representative example of an early twentieth century armory built to house a local unit of the New York National Guard. Designed by State Architect William Haugaard, the Jamestown Armory retains a substantial degree of physical integrity and embodies the three distinctive characteristics of the building type as discussed at length in the Multiple Property Document Form Army National Guard Armories in New York State (Section E: Historic Overview). First, it serves not only as a military facility and social club for a local unit of the New York National Guard, but also a civic monument designed to symbolize governmental strength and presence within a community; second, in form and plan, it consists of an administration building with an attached drill shed at ground level; third, in design and decoration, it reflects the influence of medieval military architecture in its exuberant interpretation of Tudor Revival style. The Jamestown Armory is also historically significant for its association with National Guard, an integral component of the American military system.

According to currently available information, Jamestown’s first armory was built in the 1890s for Separate Company Thirteen. It was designed by State Architect Isaac Perry (Haynes, p. 130-135) and was located in Brooklyn Square, a fashionable residential and civic neighborhood just south of the Cadekoin River and the city’s central business district. The cornerstone for the present armory was laid on October 29, 1932 by Col. Herbert H. Lehman, then New York’s lieutenant governor; the facility was opened formally on September 29, 1933. (By the time the unit moved from the old armory on Brooklyn Square to the new facility, it had been redesignated “Co. E, 174th Infantry.” In the late 1950s the unit was redesignated “Co. B, 1st Battalion, 127th Armor.”)

The present armory, apparently modeled after a particular Canadian castle (Anderson, “The ‘New’ Armory is a Venerable 50 Years Old”), retains a remarkably high degree of integrity. The armory is one of approximately 12 extant armories designed by State Architect William Haugaard. Haugaard’s armories embody a remarkably broad range of styles, materials and levels of sophistication. In terms of style, the Jamestown Armory is an anomaly; in terms of level of integrity and sophistication (particularly regarding exterior features), the Jamestown Armory is among the finest examples of Haugaard’s work.

*Source: NRHP’s Record Archive.

Era: WW II General Comments: Not listed Related web site: Not listed

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