69th Regiment Armory facts for kids
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69th Regiment Armory
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(2010)
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| Location | 68 Lexington Avenue, Manhattan, New York City |
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| Built | 1906 |
| Architect | Hunt & Hunt |
| MPS | Army National Guard Armories in New York State MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 93001538 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | January 28, 1994 |
| Designated NHL | June 19, 1996 |
The 69th Regiment Armory is a very old and important building in New York City. It's located at 68 Lexington Avenue in a part of Manhattan called Rose Hill. An armory is a place where a country's military, like the National Guard, keeps its weapons and trains its soldiers.
This building started being built in 1904 and was finished in 1906. It was designed by a company called Hunt & Hunt. What makes this armory special is that it was the first one in New York City not to look like an old castle or fortress. Instead, it was built in a fancy style called Beaux-Arts.
The Armory has a huge arena that can hold 5,000 people. This space is used for many different events, like sports games and entertainment shows. It's also still the home for the New York Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment. This group is famously known as the "Fighting Irish."
The building is so important that it was named a National Historic Landmark in 1965. It also became a New York City landmark in 1983.
Cool Events at the Armory
The 69th Regiment Armory has hosted many exciting and important events over the years.
- The Armory Show (1913): In 1913, the Armory held a famous art show called the Armory Show. It was the first big show in the United States to display modern art. Many famous artists had their work there, including Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and Henri Matisse. People had mixed feelings about the new art styles, like cubism, but the show was a big success.
- Marathon Record (1910): On March 1, 1910, a Swedish athlete named Thure Johansson broke a world record for the indoor marathon right here at the Armory. His time was 2 hours, 36 minutes, and 55.2 seconds. That's super fast!
- First TV Roller Derby (1948): From late 1948 into 1949, the Armory hosted many Roller Derby matches. These were exciting races on roller skates. Some of these matches were even the very first ones ever shown on television!
- New York Knicks Home Games (1946-1960): The Armory was sometimes the home court for the New York Knicks, a professional basketball team. They played some of their games here, especially during the NBA Finals in 1951, 1952, and 1953. This happened when their usual stadium, Madison Square Garden, was busy.
- Soundgarden Concerts (1994): In 1994, the famous rock band Soundgarden played two concerts at the Armory. These shows were part of their tour for their album Superunknown.
- NBA Documentary (1996): In 1996, the Armory was used to film parts of a documentary called NBA at 50. The famous actor Denzel Washington filmed his scenes for the movie here.
- September 11th Support (2001): After the terrible attacks on September 11, 2001, the Armory became a place where people affected by the tragedy could go for help and support.
- Victoria's Secret Fashion Show: The Armory has been the location for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show many times, including in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2015.
- MoCCA Art Festival: Since 2009, the Armory has hosted the MoCCA Art Festival. This event is put on by the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art and celebrates comics and cartoons.
- Beaux Arts Ball (2013): In 2013, the Architectural League of New York held a special party called the "Beaux Arts Ball" at the Armory. This event celebrated 100 years since the original 1913 "Armory Show." For the party, they even had giant, glowing puppets that looked like cubist art!
- Downtown Fair (2014): In May 2014, the Armory hosted the very first Downtown Fair. This was an art fair where many top art galleries showed and sold their artwork.
See also
In Spanish: 69th Regiment Armory para niños
