69th Regiment Armory facts for kids
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69th Regiment Armory
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| Location | 68 Lexington Avenue, Manhattan, New York |
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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 special building in New York City. It's also known as the 165th Infantry Armory or the Lexington Avenue Armory. This historic armory, completed in 1906, serves the U.S. Army National Guard. It is located at 68 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan.
The famous architectural firm Hunt & Hunt designed the armory. They used a style called Beaux-Arts. This means it looks grand and classical, not like an old castle. The building is a recognized New York City designated landmark and a National Historic Landmark.
The 69th Regiment Armory was the first armory in New York City that didn't look like a medieval fortress. It has two main parts. The large drill shed is in the middle of the block. It has brick walls with stone details and a curved roof. The administration building faces Lexington Avenue. It's three stories tall with a big arch and a unique double-height roof. This part holds offices and other rooms.
The 69th Regiment started looking for a new armory as early as 1886. Construction began in 1904, and the building officially opened on October 13, 1906. A very important event happened here in 1913. It was called the Armory Show, where modern art was first shown to the public in the United States. The drill hall has also been used for many sports and entertainment events, like basketball games. Today, it's still the home of the New York Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment. It also hosts special events.
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Where is the Armory Located?
The armory is at 68 Lexington Avenue. It sits between 25th and 26th Streets in the Rose Hill neighborhood of Manhattan. The area is sometimes called NoMad or Rose Hill. The building covers almost an entire city block. It stretches from Park Avenue South to the west, 26th Street to the north, Lexington Avenue to the east, and 25th Street to the south. The lot is about 63,235 square feet (5,874.7 square meters).
What Does the Armory Look Like?
The firm of Hunt & Hunt designed the 69th Regiment Armory. It was the first armory in New York City not built to look like a medieval fortress. Instead, it was designed in the Beaux-Arts style. This style is known for its grand, classical look.
Building Design
The armory has two main sections. The drill shed is at the back, in the middle of the block. The administration building is at the front, facing Lexington Avenue. Both parts have brick walls with limestone (a type of stone) details. On 25th Street, there's a smaller, four-story section. It was once used as a hospital area.
Administration Building Details
The administration building is three stories tall. It has a special double-height mansard roof (a roof with slopes on all sides). The front of the building on Lexington Avenue is symmetrical. It has a large limestone arch in the center. This arch is decorated with brick and an eagle-shaped keystone (the top stone of an arch). A hidden entrance, called a sally port, is inside this arch. It's protected by an iron gate. The ground floor also has long, narrow windows with iron grilles.
On the second floor, there are stone blocks called quoins on the corners. Between these blocks are plaques with the names of battles where the 69th Regiment fought. The windows on this floor are divided into three parts. Many parts of the facade have special bay windows that stick out. These were once used as gun bays. Above the second floor, there's a decorative ledge called a cornice. The mansard roof is made of slate and copper. It was made taller in the 1920s.
Drill Shed Details
The drill shed is a large hall. It runs along 25th and 26th Streets. It measures about 200 feet (61 meters) by 170 feet (52 meters). Like the administration building, it has brick walls with limestone trim. The first floor has strong walls with supports called buttresses. The roof is a barrel vault, which means it's curved like the inside of a barrel. It's supported by strong steel arches. The roof also had a skylight, but it was later covered.
Inside the Armory
Both parts of the armory have a strong steel frame. There are no columns inside the main hall. The thick outer walls support the weight of the upper floors.
The drill hall entrance leads to a lobby with stairs and elevators. On the first floor of the administration building, there were rooms for the library, the colonel, and other officers. The colonel's room displays special items from the 69th Regiment, like Medals of Honor and portraits from the American Civil War. The main feature of the first floor is the huge drill hall at the back. It measures about 137.5 feet (41.9 meters) by 201 feet (61 meters). A wide balcony surrounds the drill hall. The eastern wall has a massive arch, which was one of the largest in the United States when the building was finished.
The second floor had rooms for the regiment's companies. The third floor has a gymnasium. The fourth floor had showers, restrooms, and rooms for supplies and the band. In the basement, there was a shooting range, a bowling alley, and dining areas. A meeting room in the basement has special murals. Military items like helmets and drums are displayed throughout the armory.
History of the Armory
After the American Civil War, New York state decided that each county should build armories for volunteer regiments. This led to the creation of the Armory Board of the City of New York in 1884. Before this, most regiments trained in rented spaces. The 69th Infantry Regiment, a mostly Irish-American group, was one of these.
Building the Armory
Finding the Right Spot
Under Colonel George Moore Smith, the 69th Regiment wanted a new armory by 1886. The Armory Board wanted to build an armory south of 42nd Street. After looking at a few places, they chose the site between 25th and 26th Streets in September 1899. The city officially decided to buy the land in January 1900.
Early plans for the armory were made by Horgan & Slattery. However, after a new mayor, Seth Low, was elected, he wanted to change things. He canceled the contract with Horgan & Slattery. A design competition was then held to find new architects.
New Plans and Construction
In November 1902, the Armory Board approved the plans from Hunt & Hunt. The armory was expected to cost $600,000. The architects designed the building in the Beaux-Arts style. They wanted it to look like a city armory, not an old castle.
Construction began in February 1904. Mayor George B. McClellan Jr. laid the first stone on April 23, 1904. This date marked 43 years since the 69th Regiment left New York City to fight in the Civil War. The armory was almost finished by October 1905. It hosted its first event, a car show, in January 1906.
Early Years and World War I
The 69th Regiment officially moved into the armory on October 13, 1906. In its early years, the armory was rented out for many events. It became a popular place for large gatherings. The most famous event was the Armory Show in 1913. This show introduced avant-garde (new and experimental) art to America and greatly influenced the art world.
During World War I, the 69th Regiment became the 165th Infantry Regiment. They left to fight in the war. The armory was then used as a temporary home for sailors and soldiers. After the war, the 165th Infantry returned. In 1926, the roof was expanded to add more storage space. A plaque was dedicated in 1927 to honor the members of the 165th Infantry who died in World War I.
Mid-20th Century to Today
More plaques were added in the 1930s to remember soldiers from World War I. In 1933, a hiring office opened at the armory. The building was also used as a community center for homeless men. Murals were painted in a basement meeting hall as part of a government project. The armory's floor was rebuilt in 1939 for the annual track and field games.
During World War II, the armory stopped being rented for civilian events. It was used for military training. After the war, it continued to host events like basketball games. In 1967, one critic said the armory was "close to being a fire trap," but it remained a popular venue.
In 1972, a plaque was installed to remember the 1913 Armory Show. The armory was named a city landmark in April 1983. In the 1980s, it even had a homeless shelter for women and public tennis courts. The First Battalion of the 42nd Infantry Division still used the armory.
In the 21st century, after the September 11 attacks in 2001, the armory became a center for victims and their families. In 2005, a plan to turn part of it into a homeless shelter for men was dropped due to local opposition. The armory still hosts special events, like the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. It even helped out after Hurricane Sandy in 2012 by providing power generators.
Famous Events at the Armory
The 69th Regiment Armory has hosted many different events over the years. The first event was a car show in January 1906, which attracted thousands of people.
The Armory Show
The most famous event was the 1913 International Exhibition of Modern Art, known as the Armory Show. It took place from February 17 to March 17, 1913. The show displayed about 1,300 paintings, sculptures, and decorative works. Most of the artists were American, but it also featured famous European artists like Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and Henri Matisse. Over 100,000 people visited the show. It helped make New York City a major art center. Many people say it marked the beginning of Modernism in America.
The show was very new and exciting, so it caused a lot of discussion. Fifty years later, in 1963, over 300 pieces from the original show were displayed again. In 2013, a special ball was held at the armory to celebrate the show's 100th anniversary.
Sports Events
The armory held its first "open games" in April 1907. Many different regiments competed in races. In its early years, it hosted various athletic competitions. These included tennis, boxing, badminton, and even marathons. In 1910, a Swedish athlete named Thure Johansson broke an indoor marathon record at the armory.
Throughout the 1930s, track-and-field meets were held annually. From 1948 to 1949, the armory hosted many roller derby matches. Some of these were the first ever shown on television. In the 1990s, boxing and tennis matches were also held here.
Many basketball games have taken place at the armory. After World War II, college teams like City College and St. Francis College played here. The New York Knicks also played some home games at the 69th Regiment Armory from 1946 to 1960. It even hosted several NBA All-Star Games. In 1975, the armory hosted what was then the world's longest basketball game, lasting 48 hours. In 2009, the armory was used to film parts of On the Shoulders of Giants, a basketball documentary.
Other Exhibitions and Gatherings
In the 1910s, the armory hosted shows about sports, motorboats, airplanes, and trucks. It was also used for overflow space for car shows. In the 1920s and beyond, it hosted business shows, home expos, and the Radio World's Fair. It continued to host many exhibitions, including antique shows, through the end of the 20th century.
In its first few decades, the armory hosted pageants, speeches, and local meetings. It also held non-athletic competitions, like typewriting contests. In the 1920s and 1930s, it hosted real-estate auctions, fundraisers, and police-academy graduations. Large gatherings, like a memorial service for Casimir Pulaski, also took place here. During the 1920s, two newspapers gave away free food to people in need every Christmas.
In the 1960s, the armory hosted a wide range of events. These included an "African Carnival" fundraiser, electronic music concerts, and political rallies. Later, it hosted learning fairs for young people with disabilities and art shows. In the 1990s, it was used for fashion shows and art fairs. From 2009 to 2014, the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art's MoCCA Art Festival was held at the armory. It has also hosted the Downtown Art Fair and the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
See also
In Spanish: 69th Regiment Armory para niños
