Fort Washington Avenue Armory

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Coordinates: 40°50′31.68″N 73°56′28.82″W / 40.8421333°N 73.9413389°W / 40.8421333; -73.9413389
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The Armory (Fort Washington Avenue Armory)
MPS
Army National Guard Armories in New York State
NRHP reference No.95000085
Added to NRHP1995

The Fort Washington Avenue Armory, also known as the Fort Washington Armory, The Armory, and the 22nd Regiment Armory, is a historic 5,000-seat arena

Track and Field Center, and other organizations including the Police Athletic League of New York City
.

When built in the early 20th century it was one of the first armories in New York City in the Neoclassical style, instead of the

Gothic Revival mode favored during the 19th century. It was home to the 22nd Regiment of the Army Corps of Engineers, was used to give licensing exams for those who wished to become architects, engineers, nurses and so on, [2] and was later used as a homeless shelter. Thanks to help of Dr. Norbert Sander The Armory was restored and in 1995 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today the building is home to "The Fastest Track in the World" as more records have been set on The Armory's track than any other facility in the world. The Armory is host to 100+ track meets annually and is one of only four World Athletics Certified Indoor Facilities in the United States. [4]

Building

Three stories high, the Armory is constructed of brick on a raised

foundation with limestone and terra cotta trim. The administration building is on a fully exposed basement; the drill shed only partially. Iron bars protect the windows on the basement and first floor. The roofline is marked by a corbeled cornice and parapet with terra cotta trim. [1]

The west (front)

crenelated parapets in terra cotta. The entrance pavilion has octagonal bastions flanking smooth rusticated limestone voussoirs around a large sally port.[1]

Both side elevations have nine asymmetrical bays, with round-arched windows in the second and third stories and double-hung casement windows at street level. Some on both sets have been filled in.[1]

Behind a wooden

transom.[1]

The interior retains much of its original finish. Rooms have

cross-vaulted ceilings are sheathed in tiles laid in chevron patterns and have glazed terra cotta architraves at their entrances. There are bronze sconces throughout the building. A double-width staircase in fireproof steel and concrete has a curving rail. Its hallway is encircled with a wide frieze on which there are two remaining Works Progress Administration (WPA) murals.[1]

At the north and south ends of the administration building are two large

overmantel.[1]

The drill shed is a large barrel vaulted space with balcony on all sides allowing seating for 2,300. It has massive arched trusses and is lit and ventilated via a clerestory.[1]

History

The west facade of the building (2014)

The 22nd Regiment traces its origins to the Union Grays, who stayed behind in Manhattan when the city's other units left for the

Sixth Avenue.[1]

In 1890, the regiment moved to another armory on Broadway at Columbus Street on the Upper West Side. It was designed by one of the unit's members, Capt. John Leo. In 1907 the city's Armory Board held a competition for another new armory for the 22nd, to be located in the growing Washington Heights section of the city. The firm of Richard Walker and Charles Morris, whose works also included the South Ferry Building and several branch libraries in Brooklyn, won. The building was completed four years later, in 1911, at a cost of $1.16 million ($37.9 million in contemporary dollars[5]).[1]

The Armory building is visible behind left field and across 168th Street in later photos of Hilltop Park, the original home of the New York Yankees.

Sometime after World War II the 22nd was merged into the 42nd Division as the 102nd Engineering Battalion. It was moved around and downsized within the city's

National Guard units several times until it was disbanded sometime in the late 20th century. Only two of the units survive; both are now attached to the 369th Regiment and based at its armory in Harlem.[1]

The armory remained under the jurisdiction of the

New York State Division of Military & Naval Affairs. From 1968-1978, the New York Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun Club was located at the Armory where it featured a multi-lane, 100 yard indoor shooting range, run by Barry Satz who lived a few blocks away. He was famous for walking the streets of New York City, carrying a virtual montage of weapons to be used at the range. The club met every Tuesday night and members brought myriad types of small arms from around the city to shoot at the range's targets. One problem with that shooting facility was to change the 100 yard targets, you had to practically crawl due to lack of a walkway to the extended long range target area. The range was lined with asbestos in the shooting lanes, which at that time, no one at the range knew to be a problem. It was used as a homeless shelter late in the 20th century,[6] housing more than 1,000 people.[7] A plan was developed to modify and expand it for that purpose that would have compromised its historical integrity,[1][8] but these plans gave way in the mid-1980s, when the Armory became New York's premiere indoor track and field facility. At 96,000 square feet (8,900 m2), it was almost double the size of Madison Square Garden.[7]

In 1992, a campaign began to refurbish and modernize The Armory into a state-of-the-art facility.

indoor college and high school invitationals in the world.[10] Since 2012, it has been the location for the New York Road Runners Millrose Games.[7]

Track & Field Center

A race inside the Armory in 2010

The spacious third floor is home to the

Iona College
– utilize it as their home indoor track.

First held in 1908, the

Elinor Purrier each set new American records. In 2023, Yared Nuguse
set a new American record in the indoor mile, running 3:47.38.

The Armory Foundation

The Armory Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving youth by promoting fitness and education through a broad range of athletic, educational, and community programs and strives to "Keep Kids on Track."[11]

Part of the foundation is The Armory College Prep (ACP) that helps in “Keeping Kids on Track.” Only 72 percent of New York City high school students go on to attend college after graduation, a number that is significantly lower in the underserved, largely black and Latino communities that ACP draws from. Since 2016, 100 percent of the program's graduating seniors have been admitted into four-year colleges. Students from Armory College Prep have gone on to attend Cornell, Amherst, Haverford, Williams, Washington & Lee, and many other competitive institutions.

Unlike other programs that only accept students with top grades or test scores, ACP is unscreened. All students who sign up are accepted into the program, and the full-time staff works around the clock to fill in the educational gaps. Students are given an assessment at the start of the program that helps identify strengths and weaknesses. The tutors take this data and create lesson plans for each student to help them achieve their potential.

ACP works to close the opportunity gap for the students by providing one-on-one tutoring in a variety of subjects, focusing on Math and English. It provides test prep for the SAT and other standardized tests, along with personalized college counseling that helps each student create a list of target schools and develop a personal narrative that is compelling to admissions officers. Through theater and literature programs, ACP also encourages students to find their own voice in the creative arts. Several years ago, ACP added a middle school program, which helps prepare younger students for the rigors of high school, along with providing curriculum depth in areas such as computer science and math.[12]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Todd, Nancy (December 1994). "National Register of Historic Places nomination, Fort Washington Avenue Armory". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved November 13, 2009.
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-0-19538-386-7
    . p.566
  3. ^ "Arena". The Armory Foundation.
  4. ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2021-07-01. Retrieved 2020-08-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  6. ^ Gonzalez, David (July 17, 1992). "For Some, Shelters Mean Chaos and Home". The New York Times. Retrieved November 17, 2009.
  7. ^ a b c d Belson, Ken (March 17, 2017) "Norbert W. Sander Jr., Champion of New York Running, Dies at 74" The New York Times
  8. ^ Bernstein, Emily (October 3, 1993). "Neighborhood Report: Washington Heights; From Armory to Homeless Shelter to Social Center". The New York Times. Retrieved November 17, 2009.
  9. ISBN 9780736037341
    .
  10. ^ "National Track & Field Hall of Fame". ny.milesplit.us. MileSplit US. Archived from the original on 2009-03-31. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
  11. ^ "What We Do". The Armory Foundation.
  12. ^ "Why Our Work Matters". The Armory Foundation.

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