New York's Historic Armories

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New York's Historic Armories
An Illustrated History

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Nancy L. Todd - Author

Price: $50.00
Hardcover - 336 pages

Release Date: September 2006

ISBN10: 0-7914-6911-5
ISBN13: 978-0-7914-6911-8

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Summary

2007 Building Typology Award presented by the Metropolitan Chapter of the Victorian Society in America

2007 Excellence in Historic Preservation Award presented by the Preservation League of New York State

Chronicles the evolution of the armory as a specific building type in American architectural and military history, and the role these buildings played in the history of America’s volunteer militia

New York’s Army National Guard armories are among the most imposing monuments to the role of the citizen soldier in American military history. In New York’s Historic Armories, Nancy L. Todd draws on archival research as well as historic and contemporary photographs and drawings to trace the evolution of the armory as a specific building type in American architectural and military history. The result of a ten-year collaboration between the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs, this illustrated history presents information on all known armories in the state as well as the units associated with them, and will serve as a valuable reference for readers interested in general, military, and architectural history.

Built to house local units of the state’s volunteer militia, armories served as arms storage facilities, clubhouses for the militiamen, and civic monuments symbolizing New York’s determination to preserve domestic law and order through military might. Approximately 120 armories were built in New York State from the late eighteenth century to the middle of the twentieth, and most date from the last quarter of the nineteenth century, when the National Guard was America’s primary domestic peacekeeper during the post–Civil War era of labor-capital unrest. Together, New York’s armories chronicle the history of the volunteer militia, from its emergence during the early Republican Era, through its heyday during the Gilded Age as the backbone of the American military system, to its early twentieth-century role as the nation’s primary armed reserve force.

“This attractive and engaging book highlights New York’s large and distinguished group of historic armories—national treasures associated with a revered history of security and peacekeeping … I am confident that this book will further our understanding and appreciation of the state’s historic armories and their contribution to safeguarding our communities and citizens.” — Governor George E. Pataki

“Begun in the late eighteenth century, New York’s extensive armory building program had a significant impact on the development of communities across the state … Today, many of the historic armories are underused or have become obsolete. Safeguarding this remarkable collection presents both challenges and exciting possibilities.” — Bernadette Castro, Commissioner, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

“As the men and women of our New York National Guard continue their great tradition of defending freedom for their fellow citizens, we applaud this exceptional and unique opportunity to remember the past through the beautiful architectural structures that make up the foundation of our force.” — Major General Joseph J. Taluto

Nancy L. Todd, an architectural historian, is a Program Analyst at the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. She is a past recipient of the Adjutant General’s Award, New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs, for extraordinary contributions to the historic preservation of New York’s armories.

Funded in part by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Legacy Resource Management Program and jointly managed by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) and the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs (DMNA).

Table of Contents

Foreword
by Governor George E. Pataki

Foreword
by Commissioner Bernadette Castro

Foreword
by Major General Joseph J. Taluto

Acknowledgments
Introduction

A Brief Overview of the History of the New York Army National Guard
A Brief Overview of the Arsenal as a Building Type
A Brief Overview of the Armory as a Building Type
A Brief Glossary of Architectural Terms
A Brief Overview of the Arrangement of the Book

1. History of the Army National Guard

Colonial Era to the War of 1812
The Antebellum Era
Mid-nineteenth-century Changes in the New York Militia
The Civil War and the Draft Riots of July 1863
Post–Civil War Era: Labor-Capital Conflict
Press Coverage: The National Guard and Labor Disputes
Early 1880s to Late 1890s: Camp Smith, the Consolidation Act of 1882 and the Armory Law of 1884
1900 to World War II
Post–World War II History of the National Guard

2. Arsenals and Armories Built in New York State during the Republican, Antebellum and Civil War Eras

Earliest Armories and Arsenals to the 1830s
Arsenals and Armories in New York City from the 1840s to the Early 1860s
The State’s 1858 Arsenal Building Program

3. Armories Built in New York City during the 1870s and in Upstate New York during the 1870s and 1880s

4. The Seventh Regiment Armory

Early Nineteenth-century History of the Regiment
The Regiment during the Civil War and Gilded Age
The Seventh Regiment during the Twentieth Century
Earlier Homes of the Seventh

5. Armories Built in Brooklyn and Manhattan during the 1880s and 1890s

6. Upstate Armories Designed by Isaac G. Perry between 1888 and 1899

Architectural Features
Ceremonies and Press Coverage

7. Armories Built in New York City between 1900 and World War I

Noncastellated-style Armories in New York City: 1900 to World War I
Castellated-style Armories in New York City: 1900 to World War I

8. Armories Built in Upstate New York between 1900 and World War I

New York’s Office of the State Architect
The Motivation behind Armory Construction between 1900 and World War I
The Architectural Design and Decoration of Armories by Heins, Ware and Pilcher

9. Armories Built in New York State between World War I and World War II

Hiatus in Armory Building: 1920s
The Armory as Civic Center
William E. Haugaard: 1930s
New York City Armories: 1930s
Funding for Armories: The PWA and WPA Programs

Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Appendix I Arsenals and Armories by Location
Appendix II Notes on Architects and Architectural Firms
Index

Related Subjects

American History
Architectural History/Architecture
New York/Regional

45218/(JP/DF/FK)

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