State Armory | |
Location | Springfield, Massachusetts |
---|---|
Coordinates | 42°5′55″N72°35′12″W / 42.09861°N 72.58667°W |
Area | less than one acre |
Built | 1895 |
Architect | Wait & Cutter; Gardner, Pyne & Gardner |
Architectural style | Late Victorian |
NRHP reference No. | 76000254 [1] |
Added to NRHP | May 3, 1976 |
The State Armory is a historic armory building at 29 Howard Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1895, it is a prominent and distinctive example of Gothic architecture in the city's downtown. The building was the first that was purpose-built for the local militia, and was in its later years home to the South End Community Center. [2] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. [1] It was extensively damaged by the Greater Springfield tornado on June 1, 2011, in which the rear drill shed of the building was reduced to rubble. [3]
The building was sold by the City of Springfield to MGM Resorts for $1.6 million in 2014 as part of the MGM Springfield redevelopment project, a mixed use redevelopment including casino, hotel, movie theatres, skating rink, restaurants, and shops. While the Drill Shed and rear of building was lost, the stone structure was fully restored on the exterior with the interior stabilized and cleared out. The building currently houses ROAR Comedy Club, a stand up comedy club operated by MGM Springfield. [ citation needed ]
The former State Armory building is located in downtown Springfield, on the south side of Howard Street west of Main Street. The construction of its front section is primarily granite, with decorative elements of brick and brownstone. It has towers that are 50 feet (15 m) and 60 feet (18 m) tall with crenellated brick battlements and a parapet connecting the two front towers. The mass of the building is directly on Howard Street, and historically loomed over its neighbors. [2] (Most of the area is now part of the MGM Springfield casino complex.)
Attached to the rear of the front section, extending to Union Street, was a large gable-roofed drill shed, built out of brick with brownstone trim. [2] The shed was destroyed by the Greater Springfield tornado on June 1, 2011, [3] and is now the site of the French Congregational Church, which was relocated there as part of the casino construction.
The armory was built in 1895 to a design by Wait & Cutter of Boston, with local architects Gardner, Pyne & Gardner supervising. [4] It was the first dedicated facility for the Springfield companies of the state militia. It served for many years as the main facility for all militia companies based in western Massachusetts, and was also the largest space in the city for social functions. [2]
The Concord Armory is an historic former armory at 51 Walden Street in Concord, Massachusetts. It now serves as the Performing Arts Center at 51 Walden, which is operated by the Friends of Performing Arts in Concord (FOPAC). Resident groups include The Concord Players, The Concord Band, and The Concord Orchestra. The armory was built in 1887 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007, as a rare well-preserved example of a wood-frame municipal armory.
Court Square is the central plaza and historic district in Springfield, Massachusetts. It is located in the heart of Springfield's urban Metro Center neighborhood. Court Square is the City of Springfield's only topographical constant since its founding in 1636.
The French Congregational Church, known since 1919 as the First Spiritualist Church, is a historic High Victorian Gothic church on Union Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. The pressed brick church was built in 1887, under the sponsorship of Daniel B. Wesson, to provide a place of worship for French Huguenots employed by Smith & Wesson. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. In 2016, the building was moved to Union Street from its original site on Bliss Street, in order to make way for the MGM Springfield casino.
St. Joseph's Church was an historic Roman Catholic church at Howard Street and East Columbus Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1873-77, it was a brick Romanesque Revival structure with brownstone trim, and was a fine local example of the style. It was the city's first church to specifically serve its French Canadian immigrant and French American population. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It was demolished in 2008.
The Walker Building is a historic commercial building at 1228-1244 Main Street in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1898, it is one of the best examples of Richardsonian Romanesque design in the city. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The W C A Boarding House was a historic boarding house at 19 Bliss Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1884 by the Women's Christian Association (WCA), it was one Springfield's few surviving boarding house structures from the 19th century. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It was demolished to make way for the MGM Springfield casino.
The Gunn and Hubbard Blocks are a pair of historic commercial-residential buildings at 463-477 State Street in the Old Hill section of Springfield, Massachusetts. Located across the street from the Springfield Armory, they were built in the 1830s, and are the two of the oldest commercial buildings in Springfield. The buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The State Normal Training School is a historic training school building at 27 Washington Street in Westfield, Massachusetts. It was constructed in 1899 to provide a teaching facility for teachers-in-training who were students at the Westfield State Normal School, the second-oldest such school the nation. It was operated jointly by the normal school and the city of Westfield from 1900 until 1956, at which point it was converted into a regular elementary school. The city formally acquired the property in 1977. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The building now houses apartments, and is known in the community as Courthouse Square.
The United Electric Co. Building was a historic commercial building at 73 State Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. One of the city's few Beaux-Arts buildings, it was built in 1910 to serve as the headquarters of the United Electric Company, Springfield's supplier of electricity since the 1880s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It has been mostly demolished, preserving the facade as part of the MGM Springfield casino project.
Laurel Hall is a historic apartment house at 72—74 Patton Street in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. Built in 1914, it is one of a small number of apartment houses built on the north side of the city's downtown area in the 1910s and 1920s. The building underwent a major rehabilitation and renovation in the 1980s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
The Flushing Armory is a historic National Guard armory building located in Flushing, Queens. New York City. It is a brick and stone castle-like structure built in 1905–1906, designed to be reminiscent of medieval military structures in Europe. It was designed by state architect George L. Heins.
The Hoosick Falls Armory is located along Church Street in Hoosick Falls, New York, United States. It is a red brick building with castellated tower dating to the late 19th century.
The 14th Regiment Armory, also known as the Eighth Avenue Armory and the Park Slope Armory, is a historic National Guard armory building located on Eighth Avenue between 14th and 15th Streets in the South Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City, United States. The building is a brick and stone castle-like structure, and designed to be reminiscent of medieval military structures in Europe. It was built in 1891–95 and was designed in the Late Victorian style by William A. Mundell.
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The Hooker Apartments are a large multiunit apartment building at the corner of Main and Greenwich Streets in the North End of Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1908, the building is one of a modest number of early 20th century apartment blocks to survive urban renewal efforts in the city's North End. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
The New Hampshire State Union Armory is a historic armory building at 60 Pleasant Street in Manchester, New Hampshire. Built in 1904, this large brick building was the first armory building in the state, and is a distinct example of Romanesque architecture. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
MGM Springfield is a hotel and casino complex situated in the heart of Metro Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. Opening on August 24, 2018 in a block of buildings that are historically or culturally influential to Springfield, it became the first resort casino in the Commonwealth. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by MGM Resorts International. It was temporarily closed on March 14, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened to the public on July 13, 2020, after nearly 4 months of being closed, with safety precautions and reduced capacity in place. Chris Kelley is the current President and COO of the MGM Springfield.
The Adams Apartment Building is a historic eight-unit apartment building at 71 Adams Street in the South End of Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1912, it is a well-preserved local example of Classical Revival architecture. The building, which suffered significant damage in the 2011 Springfield tornado and has been restored, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.
Footguard Hall was the headquarters and armory of the First Company Governor's Footguard of the state Connecticut, a ceremonial military company founded in 1771 and originally tasked with protecting the governor and state legislature. The hall is located at 159 High Street, in Hartford, Connecticut, in a Romanesque Revival brick building built in 1888. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 in recognition of the organization's history and its distinctive architecture. The First Company Governor's Footguard now uses the Governor William A. O'Neill State Armory at 360 Broad Street, Hartford, Connecticut.
The Orange Armory is a historic armory building at 135 East Main Street in Orange, Massachusetts, United States. Built in 1913, it served as an organizing and station point for volunteer forces in World War I, and for state militia units into the 1960s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.