The Armory (Fort Washington Avenue Armory) | |
 entrance (2014) | |
| Location | 216 Fort Washington Avenue between West 168th & 169th Streets Washington Heights Manhattan,New York City |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°50′31.68″N73°56′28.82″W / 40.8421333°N 73.9413389°W /40.8421333; -73.9413389 |
| Area | 1.9 acres (7,700 m2)[1] |
| Built | 1911[1] |
| Architect | Walker & Morris |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival withRomanesque elements[2] |
| MPS | Army National Guard Armories in New York State |
| NRHP reference No. | 95000085 |
| Added to NRHP | 1995 |
TheFort Washington Avenue Armory, also known as theFort Washington Armory,The Armory, and the22nd Regiment Armory, is a historic 5,000-seat arena[3] andarmory building located at 216Fort Washington Avenue, betweenWest 168th and169th Streets, in theWashington Heights neighborhood ofManhattan,New York City. It is a brickClassical Revival building withRomanesque Revival elements, such as the entrancearch,[2] and is currently home to the non-profit Armory Foundation,National Track and Field Hall of Fame,NikeTrack and Field Center, and other organizations including thePolice 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 theGothic Revival mode favored during the 19th century. It was home to the 22nd Regiment of theArmy 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 ahomeless shelter. Thanks to help of Dr.Norbert Sander The Armory was restored and in 1995 it was listed on theNational 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]
Three stories high, the Armory is constructed of brick on a raisedfoundation withlimestone andterra 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 acorbeledcornice andparapet with terra cotta trim.[1]
The west (front)facade features a three-part projecting entrancepavilion flanked by four-bay sides. At the corners are squarebastions withcrenelated parapets in terra cotta. The entrance pavilion has octagonal bastions flanking smoothrusticated limestonevoussoirs around a largesally port.[1]
Both side elevations have nine asymmetrical bays, with round-arched windows in the second and third stories and double-hungcasement windows at street level. Some on both sets have been filled in.[1]
Behind a woodenportcullis at the rear of the sally port is the entrance, three wooden doors inside a segmentally arched stonearchitrave capped with a console-stylekeystone. It is inscribed with the words22ND REGIMENT CORPS OF ENGINEERS NGNY. Above it is a multi-panetransom.[1]
The interior retains much of its original finish. Rooms haveterrazzo floors, glazed brick walls trimmed in terracotta. Thecross-vaulted ceilings are sheathed in tiles laid inchevron patterns and haveglazed terra cotta architraves at their entrances. There are bronzesconces throughout the building. A double-width staircase in fireproof steel and concrete has a curving rail. Its hallway is encircled with a widefrieze on which there are two remainingWorks Progress Administration (WPA) murals.[1]
At the north and south ends of the administration building are two largecompany meeting rooms. The south one features apaneleddado, beamed ceilings, hardwood floors and an intricatelycarved mantel flanked by twoDoric columns. The north meeting room features paneledmahoganywainscoting, built-in trophy cases and a glazed brick fireplace with woodenovermantel.[1]
The drill shed is a largebarrel vaulted space withbalcony on all sides allowing seating for 2,300. It has massive archedtrusses and is lit and ventilated via aclerestory.[1]
The 22nd Regiment traces its origins to the Union Grays, who stayed behind in Manhattan when the city's other units left for theCivil War. They helped suppress theNew York City draft riots in 1863 and later saw some action on the front lines. They were one of the first units to have their own armory devoted solely to military purposes. It was located originally onWest 14th Street nearSixth Avenue.[1]
In 1890, the regiment moved to another armory on Broadway at Columbus Street on theUpper 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 ($39.1 million in contemporary dollars[5]).[1]
The Armory building is visible behind left field and across 168th Street in later photos ofHilltop Park, the original home of theNew 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'sNational 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 the369th Regiment and based at itsarmory in Harlem.[1]
The armory remained under the jurisdiction of theNew 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 ahomeless shelter late in the 20th century,[6] housing more than 1,000 people on the drill floor.[7] A plan was developed to modify and expand it for that purpose that would have compromised its historical integrity,[1][8] the plans for a larger shelter gave way in the mid-1980s, when the Armory became New York's premiere indoortrack and field facility. At 96,000 square feet (8,900 m2), it was almost double the size ofMadison Square Garden.[7] Through the Fort Washington Men's Shelter, the Armory provides shelter and services for 200 indigent adult males under the jurisdiction of the NYC Department of Homeless Services.[9]
In 1992, a campaign began to refurbish and modernize The Armory into a state-of-the-art facility.Norbert Sander, who spearheaded the campaign, was the only New Yorker to have won theNew York City Marathon, and a longtime member of the board ofNew York Road Runners. He raised $25 million and convinced elected officials, governmental agencies and corporate sponsors to allow him to take over the Armory. As part of the renovation, a banked track was installed.[7] In 2002, the armory was chosen as the permanent home of theNational Track and Field Hall of Fame,[10] and it is now the largest site ofindoor college and high school invitationals in the world.[11] Since 2012, it has been the location for theNew York Road RunnersMillrose Games.[7]
The spacious third floor is home to theNikeTrack and Field Center, a 200-meter, six-lane banked mondo track, two large runways and sand pits, a pole vault pit, and a throws cage. In September 2024, the track was revamped, with the removal of five older layers of track material, and the changing of the surface color from red to blue.[12] The Center is widely regarded as one of the premier indoor track and field facilities in the United States and is one of only fiveWorld Athletics certified indoor facilities in the United States.[4] The Center plays host to a number of meets at the high school, college, and professional/open/masters level each year, including theMillrose Games, Nike Indoor Nationals, The Dr. Sander Invitational/Columbia Challenge and several of the largest high school meets in the country. The Armory is also home to theColgate Women's Games Championship, which is the largest track & field series for women in the nation. ThePublic School Athletic League (PSAL), the largest high school athletic league in the country, also makes their home at The Armory. A number of college programs – such asColumbia University,New York University,Saint John's University,St. Francis College,City College of New York andIona College – utilize it as their home indoor track.
First held in 1908, theMillrose Games is the centerpiece of The Armory’s track and field calendar, and is arguably the most prestigious indoor meet in the world. The event formerly took place at Madison Square Garden before moving to The Armory in 2012. Millrose features elite competition at every level, with youth, high school, collegiate, professional, and masters races. Millrose traditionally concludes with the Wanamaker Mile, which has featured many icons of the sport, includingEamonn Coghlan andBernard Lagat. At the 2020 event,Donavan Brazier,Ajeé Wilson, andElinor Purrier each set new American records. In 2025,Yared Nuguse set a new world record in the indoor mile, running 3:46.63.
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."[13]
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 theSAT 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.[14]
Notes
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