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Seventh Regiment Armory
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Park Avenue Armory
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| Location: | 643 Park Avenue New York, NY |
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| Built: | 1880 |
| Architect: | Charles W. Clinton |
| Architectural style: | Gothic Revival |
| Governing body: | Park Avenue Armory |
| NRHP Reference#: | 75001208 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP: | April 14, 1975[1] |
| Designated NHL: | February 24, 1986[2] |
The Seventh Regiment Armory, located at 643 Park Avenue also known as Park Avenue Armory in New York, New York, United States, is an historic brick building that fills an entire city block on New York's Upper East Side.
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The building was designed by architect Charles Clinton in the Gothic Revival style and dedicated in 1880. It is the only armory in the United States to be built and furnished with private funds.[3] It originally served as the headquarters and administrative building for the 7th New York Militia Regiment, known as the Silk Stocking Regiment due to the disproportionate number of its members who were part of the city's social elite. The building is known for detailed interior rooms that are furnished with ornamental woodwork, marble and stained glass depictions of moderately disapproved behavior.
The main facade of the administration building faces Park Avenue between 66th & 67th Streets, with the large vaulted space for the drill hall in the center of the block. The administration building has provisions for a reception room, a library, veterans room and staff offices for ten regimental companies. Noted architects and interior designers of the American Aesthetic Movement were commissioned to furnish the rooms and company quarters. The library is known as the Silver Room or "Trophy Room" and was designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany who worked with architect Stanford White as a consultant on the project. The masterpiece of the armory building is the Veterans Room, also known as the Tiffany Room, with hand carved wood panelling and coffered ceiling. Other significant craftsmen with work in the building include Alexander Roux, Francis Davis Millet, and the Herter Brothers.
The Armory is currently home to:
After 9/11 the Armory was temporarily converted into a support center for the victims and the families of the terrorist attacks.
The building was made a National Historic Landmark in 1986.[2][5][6]
Park Avenue Armory enjoys a rich partnership with Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design (WHSAD) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. WHSAD is a 9-12 college preparatory school whose mission is to provide its students with a quality education that is geared toward future training in the preservation trades and related professions such as architecture, conservation, engineering, and city planning. WHSAD is the only school in the country with a Historic Preservation program.[7]