Cranston Street Armory
Cranston Street Armory | |
Broadway-Armory Historic District (ID74000047 ) | |
Added to NRHP | 1974 |
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The Cranston Street Armory is an historic building in the
History
The architects were William R. Walker & Son and the builder was Michael J. Houlihan.[2] The armory was built with a steel-truss frame, a large open central hall and two towers with a total of 165,000 square feet (15,300 m2) of space.[3] The main hall alone is as wide as two football fields. After World War I, the armory was used by 243rd Coast Artillery, 103rd Field Artillery Brigade, and in later years by the 43rd and 118th as well.[4]
The films Outside Providence (1999) and Underdog (2007) were filmed using the open areas within the Armory for bluescreen work, as well as exterior shots of adjacent areas.
The Armory was used for several years by the Rhode Island Interscholastic League to host indoor track and field meets including the Rhode Island state championships and the Brown Invitational track meet.[5]
Decline
In 1981 the main hall was closed to public events due to structural problems. The National Guard however did not have the funds for the extensive repairs and upkeep required by the building's age.
As of 1986 the Cranston Street Armory was home to the following Rhode Island National Guard units:
- Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 103d Field Artillery Brigade
- Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 103rd Field Artillery Regiment
- Service Battery, 1st Battalion, 103rd Field Artillery Regiment
- A Battery, 1st Battalion, 103rd Field Artillery Regiment
- Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 43rd Military Police Brigade
- Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 118th Military Police Battalion
- 119th Military Police Company
Around 1990 the tenant units were transferred to other armories. The Field Artillery units were moved to the Armory of Mounted Commands in Providence and the Military Police units were moved to the Warwick Armory in Warwick.
In 1996 the
In January 2015, Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza held his inauguration gala in the building. A few weeks later, it was named as one of 2015's "Most Endangered Properties" by the Providence Preservation Society, one of many times it has earned that distinction.[8]
Broadway–Armory Historic District
The Cranston Street Armory has lent its name to the surrounding area of Providence's West End, which is often known as the "Broadway–Armory Historic District." Several area businesses also take their name from this building.[9] Most of the buildings in the area were built around 1840 to 1920.[10]
Dexter Training Ground
The Armory stands at the southern end of the Dexter Training Ground, a plot of land which was donated to the City of Providence by Ebenezer Knight Dexter for holding military exercises.[11] The Training Ground was used as an encampment and drill field during the Civil War.[11] The 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery Regiment, the first Black company from Rhode Island to serve in the Civil War, trained and camped here.[12]
In July 1917,
Today the land is a heavily used neighborhood park. The park features a playground, and attracts dog walkers and strollers.[14] A statue of benefactor and namesake Ebenezer Knight Dexter stands in the northern end of the park.
In July 2020, mayor Jorge Elorza held an outdoor ceremony in Dexter Training Ground where he signed an executive order to come up with a “truth-telling and reparations process” in Providence.[12]
See also
References
- ^ America's 11 Most Endangered Properties (1997), National Trust for Historic Preservation https://savingplaces.org/11most-past-listings
- ^ Providence Preservation Society's Most Endangered Properties Wiki http://wiki.ppsri.org/tiki-index.php?page=Cranston+Street+Armory Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ National Trust for Historic Preservation http://www.preservationnation.org/travel-and-sites/sites/northeast-region/cranston-street-armory.html
- ^ Seth Brown, Rhode Island curiosities quirky characters, roadside oddities & other offbeat stuff (Guilford, CT. : Globe Pequot Press, 2007), p. 10
- ^ "Archived copy". www.imaginenews.com. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b John Hill (30 May 2014). "Lawmaker wants to restore $3 million in state budget for repairs to Cranston Street Armory". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
- ^ Dunham, Grace (November 3, 2011), Castle for the People, The College Hill Independent, retrieved December 9, 2011
- ^ Stabile, Lori (31 January 2015). "Prov. Preservation Society names 2015 most endangered properties". Providence Business News. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
The Cranston Street Armory has been mentioned on lists regularly from 1996 to 2000, as well as in 2003, and 2014 and 2015. The 1907 castle-like building gained attention when Mayor Jorge O. Elorza hosted his inaugural gala inside it, but needs upgrades and has been underutilized since the National Guard left it in 1996.
- ^ Dunn, Christine. "Rich in history, Armory is neighborhood's anchor". providencejournal.com. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
- ^ Dunn, Christine (26 October 2014). "Rich in history, Armory is neighborhood's anchor". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
- ^ a b "RI State Armory". Art in Ruins. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
- ^ a b List, Madeline (16 July 2020). "Providence mayor signs order to pursue truth, reparations for Black, Indigenous people". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
- ^ Delaney, Michael (9 November 2017). "R.I. Time Lapse: On the march during World War I". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
- ^ Ziner, Karen Lee (26 July 2016). "Free lemonade brings heat wave relief in Providence". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 12 November 2017.