Duluth Armory

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Duluth Armory
View of the armory from the nearby Rose Garden.
Historic photograph of the Duluth Armory.
Address:	1307 London Road
Neighborhood/s:	East Hillside, Duluth, Minnesota
City/locality- State/province	Duluth, Minnesota
County- State/province:	Saint Louis County, Minnesota
State/province:	Minnesota
Country:	United States
Year built:	1915
Primary Style:	Classical Revival
Additions:	1940 Expansion
Historic Function:	Military facility
Historic Function:	Auditoriums/music facility
Other Historic Function:	Auditoriums/music facility
Current Function:	Other
Architect or source of design:	Philip Bettenberg, Clyde Kelly, Owen Williams
Material of Exterior Wall Covering:	Brick
Material of Roof:	Asphalt
Material of Foundation:	Concrete
First Owner:	Minnesota National Guard

National Register of Historic Places Information
Reference URL:	[Reference]
Certification date:	June 1, 2011
Primary Style:	Classical Revival
Year/s of Additions:	1940

Completed in 1915, the Duluth Armory was constructed as a training facility for the Minnesota National Guard. The Armory has also served as an important cultural hub as a music venue.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Historic Functions 1.2 Present Day 2 Memories and stories 3 Photo Gallery 4 Related Links

History

The Duluth Armory was built in 1915 to replace the inadequate armory built in 1896. At the time of its construction, the Duluth Armory second only to the Minneapolis Armory in terms of size in the state of Minnesota. It was also five times as expensive as other comparable military training facilities of the era. This is due to several factors: one, that the facility had then state of the art training rooms, two, that the building combined military and entertainment programs, and three, that the building is situated directly on top of Chester Creek, an important trout stream in Duluth.

Historic Functions

The 125th Artillery trained at this facility before going on to join in more days of combat than any other unit in World War II. In addition to serving military purposes, the Armory has also provided performace space for many influential American musicians of the 20th century. This list includes Harry Truman, Louis Armstrong, Johnny Cash, Bob Hope, Liberace, and Buddy Holly. Notably, Bob Dylan was inspired to pursue his now illustrious career after seeing Buddy Holly and Friends perform at the Duluth Armory.

Present Day

The Armory is located just north of several public amenities, including the Lakewalk, the Rose Garden, and Leif Erickson Park. In 1978, the Armory was purchased by the city of Duluth, and its use as an armory was put to an end. The Armory has been threatened by demolition since 2000, but was placed on the National Historic Register in June of 2011. Currently, the building is for lease via the At Water Group.

Memories and stories

Photo Gallery

1896: Original Armory	First floor, or basement	Second floor	Third floor
Fourth floor	1915: Duluth Armory under construction	1916	Postcard
1916: First Battalion on Armory's first Memorial Day‎	1940: 125th Infanty Unit in formation in the Drill Hall	1940: Drill Hall Auditorium	1941: 125th Field Artillery Band
1941: New addition under constuction	1941: Duluth Armory with new addition	1956: funeral of Albert Woolson, Duluth native and last surviving Civil War veteran	1980: Historic stairs partially removed
Modern photograph from Rose Garden

Related Links

National Historic Register Page

Duluth Armory Page

National Register of Historic Places Registration Form PDF