The Massachusetts State Armory is a historic armory at 467 Main Street in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Built in 1913, it is a fine local example of Classical Revival architecture, and a symbol of the town's long military history. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.[1] It presently houses the Americal Civic Center, a local community center.
Description and history[]
The armory is located on the west side of Main Street, at its southwest corner with Armory Street. It is a two-story Classical Revival brick building, whose front facade is dominated by a Classical portico with four columns extending the full height of the building. It has a stone water table and modillioned cornice. Windows have stone sills, and those on the first floor have stone keystones.[2]
Wakefield's military history dates to the 17th century, when it was part of Reading. Its first militia company was raised in 1644, and had a continuous history extending to 1840. The Washington Rifle Greens were organized in 1812, and survived until 1850. In 1850 Dr. Solon O. Richardson, a prominent local businessman, organized the Richardson Light Guard, which served in the American Civil War. The town's first armory, a former town hall, was opened in 1873, with a new one built in 1894 on Main Street. That building burned down in 1911, and the state built the present building two years later.[2] In 1975 the building was turned over to the town, and it was adapted for use as a community center.
References[]
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namednris - ↑ 2.0 2.1 "NRHP nomination for Massachusetts State Armory". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. http://mhc-macris.net/Details.aspx?MhcId=WAK.214. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
The original article can be found at Massachusetts State Armory and the edit history here.