Detroit Naval Armory

Detroit Naval Armory
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Michigan State Historic Site
Location:	Detroit, Michigan
Coordinates:	42°20′55″N 82°59′51″W / 42.34861°N 82.9975°W / 42.34861; -82.9975Coordinates: 42°20′55″N 82°59′51″W / 42.34861°N 82.9975°W / 42.34861; -82.9975
Built:	1930
Architect:	William Buck Stratton
Architectural style:	Moderne
Governing body:	State
NRHP Reference#:	94000662[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP:	July 01, 1994
Designated MSHS:	October 2, 1980[2]

The Detroit Naval Armory is a located at 7600 East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It is also known as the R. Thornton Brodhead Armory. The armory was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1980^[2] and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.^[1]

History

In the 1880s, several states formed "naval militias," the forerunners of present-day Navy and Marine Corps Reserve units.^[3] Michigan formed a naval militia in 1893; the militia quickly became a popular pastime for wealthy Detroiters. Even so, the militia fought in both the Spanish-American War and World War I.^[3] By 1929, over 600 men were part of the militia, and it had outgrown its existing headquarters. Captain Richard Thorton Brodhead convinced the Michigan state legislature to construct a new building.^[4] The state of Michigan and the city of Detroit pooled $375,000 to build a new armory on Jefferson near the foot of the Belle Isle bridge.^[3]

The new armory opened in 1930, and was used as both a training facility and civic event site. The indoor drill floor was used for dances, USO mixers, auto shows, and political and sporting events.^[3] In 1932, future heavyweight champion Joe Louis fought his first career bout.^[3] With the onset of the Great Depression, the Works Progress Administration funded numerous artistic additions to the armory, including three murals, plaster carvings, and extensive wood carvings;^[3] this collection of WPA art is the largest collection of federally-funded Depression-era artwork of any building in the state.^[2] During World War II, the armory was used as a barracks and schoolhouse for Navy diesel and electrical schools. After the war ended, it was again used as a training center for reservists.^[3]

The armory was eventually renamed the R. Thornton Brodhead Armory in memory of its first Naval leader.^[3] The armory was home to Marines and Sailors of Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Marines^[3] until 2004.^[5] As of 2008, plans were to refurbish the armory to include bowling, fitness and youth boxing club facilities.^[5]

Description

The Detroit Naval Armory is a limestone structure with four main sections: a vestibule, a drill hall, an office / penthouse section, and a company drill hall.^[2] The building mixes Art Moderne and Art Deco influences, and contains a large array of Depression-era WPA art^[2] by artists such as John Tabaczuk, Edgar Yaeger, David Fredenthal, and Gustave Hildebrand,^[4] all with nautical themes.^[6] The building faces East Jefferson; the entrance is heavily decorated in military and naval themes using Pewabic tiles.^[4] In front of the building is a semi-circular drive encircling a flagpole erected in 1943 and a large Navy anchor from the USS Yantic, a Civil War gunboat whose hull is buried in a filled-in boat slip in Gabriel Richard Park.^[2]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Detroit Naval Armory from the state of Michigan
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Detroit Naval Armory from the National Park Service
4. ^ ^{a b c} R. Thornton Brodhead Naval Armory Marine Corps Reserve Center/Detroit Naval Armory from Detroit1701.org
5. ^ ^{a b} "Brodhead Armory eyed for renovation" Detroit Free Press, 2/14/2008
6. ^ R. Thornton Brodhead Armory Historic District from the city of Detroit