D.C. Armory
{{short description|Multipurpose arena in Washington, D.C.}}
{{Infobox venue
| name = D.C. Armory
| nickname =
| image = D.C. Armory - Washington, D.C..jpg
| image_size = 250
| fullname =
| former_names =
| address = 2001 East Capitol Street SE
| location = Washington, D.C.
| coordinates = {{coord|38.8885|-76.9755|type:landmark_region:US-DC|display=it}}
| broke_ground =
| built =
| opened = 1941
| renovated =
| expanded =
| closed =
| demolished =
| owner = United StatesSearch for "DC Armory" at http://atlasplus.dcgis.dc.gov/
| operator = Military – District of Columbia National Guard {{refn |group=note|" The parts of the Armory so set aside for the use of the National Guard shall be under the control and jurisdiction of the Commanding General of the National Guard [of the District of Columbia] for all purposes except maintenance and repair of the Armory."{{Citation |publisher=District of Columbia |title=D.C. Code Ann. §3-305 |url=https://code.dccouncil.us/dc/council/code/titles/3/chapters/3/ |access-date=July 6, 2018}}}}
Nonmilitary – Washington Convention and Sports Authority
| surface =
| scoreboard =
| construction_cost =
| architect =
| project_manager =
| structural engineer =
| services engineer =
| general_contractor =
| main_contractors =
| capacity = 10,000
| record_attendance =
| dimensions =
| tenants = Georgetown Hoyas (NCAA) (1947–1949)
Washington Diplomats (NASL) (1978)
D.C. Armor (AIFA) (2009)
DC Rollergirls (WFTDA) (2008–present)
}}
The D.C. Armory is an armory and a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Washington, D.C. Managed by the Washington Convention and Sports Authority, the Armory was constructed[http://www.rollcall.com/features/Longest-Yard_2009/sports/39809-1.html "D.C. Armory a Versatile, Unsung Event Venue"], Roll Call, Kristin Coyner; October 27, 2009. and opened in 1941, as the headquarters,Contact us, at [http://states.ng.mil/sites/DC/Pages/contact.aspx states.ng.mil] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091025091845/http://states.ng.mil/sites/DC/Pages/contact.aspx |date=2009-10-25 }} armory, and training facility for the District of Columbia National Guard. In recent years it has also become a venue for a broad range of events. Adjacent to the northeast is the RFK Stadium campus.
About
Prior to its construction, the Convention Hall located on 5th Street NW, between K and L had been used as an armory.Badges Of Distinction: Second Regiment Soldiers Receive Their Marksmanship Medals - April 26, 1893 - The Washington Post - page 2 Construction on the new armory began on June 2, 1940, and it opened on July 13, 1941.{{cite news|title=Public to See Ground-Breaking For New Armory|work=The Washington Post|date=June 2, 1940|page=12|postscript=none}}; {{cite news|title=D.C. Armory Cornerstone Rites Today|work=The Washington Post|date=July 13, 1941|page=7}} The structure was designed by the city's Municipal Architect, Nathan C. Wyeth.{{sfn|Scott|Lee|1993|pages=266, 268}}{{sfn|Benedetto|Du Vall|Donovan|2001|page=328}} The D.C. Armory replaced the National Armory, a 1910 structure which was designed by New York City architect Electus D. Litchfield."E. D. Litchfield, 80, Architect, Is Dead: Civic Leader Here Won Reversal of Grandfather's Demotion in Court-Martial of 1814," New York Times, November 28, 1952, p. 25.{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=02dYAAAAYAAJ&q=Litchfield+%22D.C.+Armory%22&pg=RA1-PA21|title=Public Buildings|work=The American Contractor|date=April 9, 1910|page=21}}
OPLAN 1954, a 1954 war game preparing for an atomic bomb exploding over Washington, D.C., supposed that a vacant parking lot near the Armory could be turned into an emergency airstrip for delivering medical supplies.{{cite book |title=Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government's Secret Plan to Save Itself - While the Rest of Us Die |first=Garrett M. |last=Graff |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2017}} Initially, nonmilitary use of the Armory was facilitated by the D.C. Armory Board, which was formed in 1948. During its existence the board oversaw the use of both the Armory and RFK Stadium. In 1994 the board was dissolved and the city's use of the Armory came under the authority of the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission (DCSEC), which later became the Washington Convention and Sports Authority.DC Law 10-152, the "Omnibus Sports Consolidated Act of 1994" at, [http://os.dc.gov/os/frames.asp?doc=/os/lib/os/info/odai/title_19/29.pdf os.dc.gov] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100122041342/http://os.dc.gov/os/frames.asp?doc=%2Fos%2Flib%2Fos%2Finfo%2Fodai%2Ftitle_19%2F29.pdf |date=2010-01-22 }}
The Armory is served by the Stadium–Armory station on the Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines of the Washington Metro. The Armory shares a 10,000 car parking lot with the adjacent Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium.Parking & Directions, at [http://www.dcsec.com/index-10parkdir.html www.dcsec.com]
Events
The Armory's Drill Field is approximately {{convert|80,000|sqft}} and has hosted trade shows, concerts, warehouse sales,[http://www.dcsec.com/index-news46.html DCSEC Press release]; November 14, 2008. the Washington Auto Show,[http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/06/the-2009-washington-auto-show-the-automotive-seat-/ The 2009 Washington Auto Show: "The Automotive Seat of Power"], The Washington Post; February 6, 2009. sporting events, and Presidential inauguration balls.
The Washington Diplomats played indoor soccer at the armory in 1978.{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19780128&id=osNaAAAAIBAJ&pg=3959,3005927|title=St. Petersburg Times - Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com|access-date=May 20, 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19780130&id=pMNaAAAAIBAJ&pg=3599,5401544|title=St. Petersburg Times - Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com|access-date=May 20, 2020}} The armory has hosted the WCW Capital Combat professional wrestling event in 1990, served as a preliminary tryout venue for American Idol, been a concert venue for Marilyn Manson, and hosted the Longest Yard Football Classic, a charity game pitting Members of Congress (aided by former NFL stars) against the Capitol Police. In 2007, the first sanctioned pro mixed martial arts event in Washington, D.C. was held at the armory.{{cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/bs-mtblog-2007-05-a_look_back_at_dcs_first_sanct-story.html|title=Case Study: Big-Time Boxing in Washington, D.C. is a Knockout|publisher=baltimoresun.com|access-date=April 3, 2019}}
The Armory has been home to the DC Rollergirls, D.C.'s female flat track roller derby league, since February 2008. In 2009, the Armory became home to the D.C. Armor, an American Indoor Football Association team. Popular Dutch trance artist Armin van Buuren played a six-hour set at the Armory in 2011.{{Cite web|url=http://www.clubglow.com/dc-concerts-2/armin-van-buuren-6-hour-set-w-pleasurekraft-sat-nov-19-glow-at-dc-armory/|title=Armin van Buuren (6 Hour Set) w/ Pleasurekraft: Sat Nov. 19 [Glow at DC Armory]|website=Club Glow Washington DC|access-date=May 20, 2020}} In 2013, facility hosted the IBF Junior Welterweight title fight featuring Lamont Peterson and Kendall Holt.{{cite web|url=http://eventsdc.com/AboutUs/EventsInReview/Case-Study-Big-Time-Boxing-in-Washington,-D-C-is-a.aspx|title=Case Study: Big-Time Boxing in Washington, D.C. is a Knockout|publisher=eventsdc.com|access-date=March 17, 2019|archive-date=October 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024225232/https://eventsdc.com/AboutUs/EventsInReview/Case-Study-Big-Time-Boxing-in-Washington,-D-C-is-a.aspx|url-status=dead}}
During World War II, the Armory was used by the FBI Identification Division to house fingerprint records.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fbi.gov/multimedia/faces_fbi072608/transcript.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100412004131/https://www.fbi.gov/multimedia/faces_fbi072608/transcript.htm|url-status=dead|title=Federal bureau of Investigation: Faces of the FBI, at|archive-date=Apr 12, 2010|access-date=May 20, 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://images.google.com/hosted/life/6dd3161131e7794c.html|title=LIFE - Hosted by Google|website=images.google.com|access-date=May 20, 2020}} Inauguration balls spanning from the presidencies of Harry S. Truman to Barack Obama have also been hosted at the Armory. Frank Sinatra and Peter Lawford produced President Kennedy's pre-inaugural gala at the Armory on January 19, 1961. The cast of performers included Harry Belafonte, Milton Berle, Leonard Bernstein, Joey Bishop, Nat King Cole, Tony Curtis, Jimmy Durante, Ella Fitzgerald, Gene Kelly, Alan King, Janet Leigh, Ethel Merman, Louis Prima, Keely Smith, Pat Suzuki, and Helen Traubel.
Notes
{{reflist|group=note}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Bibliography
- {{cite book|last1=Benedetto|first1=Robert|last2=Du Vall|first2=Kathleen|last3=Donovan|first3=Jane|title=Historical Dictionary of Washington, D.C.|location=Lanham, Md.|publisher=Scarecrow Press|date=2001|isbn=9780810840942|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BHA5tL1qt5cC}}
- {{cite book|last1=Scott|first1=Pamela|last2=Lee|first2=Antoinette Josephine|title=Buildings of the District of Columbia|location=New York|publisher=Oxford University Press|date=1993|isbn=9780195061468|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/buildingsofdistr0000scot}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.dcsec.com/Venues/DCArmory.aspx/}}
{{WFTDA venues}}
{{Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball navbox}}
{{Music venues of Washington D.C.}}
Category:1941 establishments in Washington, D.C.
Category:Armories in the United States
Category:Boxing venues in Washington, D.C.
Category:Defunct college basketball venues in the United States
Category:Defunct indoor soccer venues in the United States
Category:Georgetown Hoyas basketball venues
Category:Military facilities in Washington, D.C.
Category:Mixed martial arts venues in Washington, D.C.
Category:Music venues in Washington, D.C.
Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor venues