69th Regiment Armory

69th Regiment Armory
Map
Location68 Lexington Avenue, Manhattan, New York
Coordinates40°44′29″N 73°59′03″W / 40.74139°N 73.98417°W / 40.74139; -73.98417
Built1906[1]
ArchitectHunt & Hunt[2]
MPSArmy National Guard Armories in New York State MPS
NRHP reference No.93001538
NYSRHP No.06101.007088[3]
NYCL No.1228
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJanuary 28, 1994[2]
Designated NHLJune 19, 1996[4]
Designated NYSRHPDecember 8, 1993[3]
Designated NYCLApril 12, 1983

The 69th Regiment Armory (also known as the 165th Infantry Armory and the Lexington Avenue Armory) is a historic armory for the U.S. Army National Guard at 68 Lexington Avenue, between East 25th and 26th Streets, in the Rose Hill neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, United States. Completed in 1906, the armory was designed by the firm of Hunt & Hunt in the Beaux-Arts style. The building is a New York City designated landmark[5] and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark.[6][4]

The 69th Regiment Armory was the first armory built in New York City not modeled on a medieval fortress. The building is divided into two parts. The drill shed to the west, in the middle of the block, has a brick facade with limestone trim, as well as a barrel vault. The administration building to the east is three stories high, with a brick-and-limestone facade, a large arch facing Lexington Avenue, and a double-height mansard roof; there are various offices and other rooms inside.

As early as 1886, the 69th Regiment had sought permission to erect a new armory. The site between 25th and 26th Street was not decided upon until 1899; the building began construction in 1904 and formally opened on October 13, 1906. The Armory was the site of the 1913 Armory Show, in which modern art was first publicly presented in the United States. The drill hall has been used for sporting and entertainment events, such as basketball games. As of 2023, it is still used as the headquarters of the New York Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, as well as for special events.

  1. ^ "69th Regiment Armory". 69th Regiment. Archived from the original on June 26, 2012. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
  2. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  3. ^ a b "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. November 7, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "69th Regiment Armory". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. September 11, 2007. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved September 14, 2007.
  5. ^ New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; Dolkart, Andrew S.; Postal, Matthew A. (2009). Postal, Matthew A. (ed.). Guide to New York City Landmarks (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-470-28963-1.
  6. ^ Prod, Nancy L.; Prol, Elbertus; Pitts, Carolyn; and Bearas, Edwin C. (November 1994) "National Historic Landmark Nomination: 69th Regiment Armory" Archived June 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, National Park Service