Fifth Regiment Armory - Baltimore MD - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form

The Fifth Regiment Armory was intended for public uses as well as military from the beginning. In 1903, a special act of the legislature allowed the Armory to be used for the German "sangerfest" in that and many subsequent years. In 1904, the Armory rented space to businesses burnt out by the great fire of 1904. In 1912, the Armory gained national notoriety as the site of the National Democratic Convention which nominated for President the then-Governor of the State of New Jersey, Woodrow Wilson.

In 1924, the officers association of the Fifth Regiment operating a radio station on a 2-4 meter band, transmitting from one of the balcony rooms of the Armory. The station's call letters, "WFBR," reflected its unique status as “World’s First Broadcasting Regiment."


The history of the Fifth Regiment of the Maryland National Guard for whom the armory in Baltimore was built parallels the history of Maryland from Revolutionary to modern times. The Regiment, known as the “Dandy Fifth,” originated in the old “Maryland Line” troops of the Continental Army, made up of men from all over the State. These troops responded to the call of the Continental Congress for troops in 1776.

The Regiment saw action in both sides of the Civil War, in the Spanish-American War in 1898, and both World Wars. At the close of World War II, the 29th Division (of which the Fifth Regiment is a part) received distinguished unit citations and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm was given to the entire division. The Regiment was again called to active duty during the 1960s to control civil disturbances at home.

Street address: 210--247 W. Hoffman Street Baltimore, MD United States 21202 County / Borough / Parish: Baltimore (Independent City) Year listed: 1985 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1925-1949, 1900-1924 Historic function: Defense, Social Current function: Defense, Social Privately owned?: no Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   09/10/2021 Don.Morfe visited it