69th Regiment Armory, 1906
The armory was designed by the architectural firm Hunt and Hunt constructed
for the 69th Regiment from 1904 to 1906. Its construction necessitated the
demolition of thirty-two tenement buildings. Like all armories of its time,
it was constructed as a place to store weapons and had a large shed in which
the regiment practiced its drills. The fortress-like appearance of this and
other armories was not done simply for stylistic reasons but was intended to
help the regiment defend the building against attack during civil disorders
such as the New York City Draft Riot of 1863 when an armory at Second Avenue
and 21st Street was destroyed by a mob.
