Higgins Armory Building facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Higgins Armory Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Higgins Armory Building
Location	100 Barber Ave., Worcester, Massachusetts
Area	20,000 sq. ft.
Built	1930
Architect	Leland, Joseph D.
Architectural style	International Style
MPS	Worcester MRA
NRHP reference No.	80000514
Added to NRHP	March 05, 1980

The Higgins Armory Building is a special old building in Worcester, Massachusetts. It's known for being one of the first buildings ever made mostly from steel and glass. It was built by John Woodman Higgins to keep his amazing collection of steel items. This collection included many European weapons and armor, plus some early American steel pieces.

The building looks huge, like a whole city block. But it actually wraps around an old factory. It was connected to the factory by special walkways. The building was used to impress important visitors. It also became a popular museum and cultural spot for everyone to visit.

The museum became officially recognized after John Higgins passed away in 1972. It kept running even when the factory closed in 1975. In 1978, some valuable armor and weapons were stolen from the museum. In 1979, the museum changed from being owned by the Higgins family to a public charity. At that time, other big museums, like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, wanted to buy the collection. But the museum's board decided not to sell.

The new museum board decided to focus only on ancient and medieval arms and armor. They stopped showing exhibits about modern steel. This made it the only museum in America completely dedicated to arms and armor for a while. However, in 2004, the Frazier History Museum opened in Louisville, Kentucky, and it also focused on historical weapons.

Challenges and Closure

The Higgins Armory started having money problems in the early 2010s. It didn't have enough money saved up and couldn't earn enough to cover its costs. The museum was losing a lot of money each year. To help with this, the board decided in 2012 to sell off more than 500 items from the collection. The money from these sales went into the museum's savings. The museum director, Suzanne W. Maas, said they had many similar items. She explained that they didn't need ten of the same helmet when seven would be enough.

Even after selling some items, the museum's savings kept getting smaller. So, in November 2012, the trustees decided to join with the Worcester Art Museum. In March 2013, they announced that the museum would close at the end of that year. Maas said it was a tough but necessary decision. The museum closed on December 31, 2013.

Now, all the items and savings from the Higgins Armory are at the Worcester Art Museum. This museum is less than three miles away. The art museum has a special exhibit showing highlights from the Higgins collection. They also plan to make a new gallery to keep the collection there permanently. The old Higgins Armory building is now owned by new people. It's used for weddings and events, and it has offices and studios for local businesses.

The Higgins Armory Building in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Building Design

The Higgins Armory Museum building was built between 1929 and 1931. It was made especially to display John Higgins' collection of arms and armor. This four-story building was designed by Joseph D. Leland from Boston, Massachusetts. It cost over $300,000 to build. It is thought to be the first building made only from steel and glass.

The building has an L-shape with a special angled corner. The main entrance is on this corner. A large decoration of a half suit of armor sits on the roof above the entrance. The outside of the building has steel pillars that you can see. These pillars have big, round decorations that look like rivets. They divide the large glass windows along the sides of the building. There's also a decorative steel band above the first-floor windows. A row of large round decorations is at the top of the building. The first two floors were originally for offices. The museum was on the top two floors.

The inside of the main hall looks very different from the outside. The walls inside the galleries were made to look like the stone arches of a medieval castle. This was inspired by Hohenwerfen Castle in Austria. John Higgins had bought some items from that castle. You can also find medieval-style lights throughout the building.

In 1980, the museum building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a very important historical site. The building has been renovated twice since then. One renovation in 1988 cost $1.4 million. Another in 1992 used $2.6 million that was raised.

Images for kids

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  Maximilian field armor with visor for ceremony and tournament, south Germany, 1510-1520

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  Helmet shaped like a conch shell (awabi uchidashi kabuto), Japan, 1618. Made by Nagasone Tojiro Mitsumasa.

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  Folding spetum, Italy, c. 1550; once owned by the Rothschild family.

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  Smallsword from around 1790 by Josiah Wedgwood and perhaps Matthew Boulton.

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  Carabinier armor, France, 1863-1865.

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  Mail coat, probably from Ottoman Turkey, perhaps 1550-1650; the word "Allah" is on each link.

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  Reproduction field armor of Archduke Siegmund of Austria 1485 (reproduction 1911-19) with armor for boar hound, German style 16th century, reproduction US 1942. The dog is Higgin's mascot "Helmutt".