Naval Reserve Armory
- Architect
- B. Marcus Priteca
- Year
- 1942
- Style
- Art Deco
- City
- Seattle, WA
- Collection
- seattle deco
The Naval Reserve Armory in South Lake Union is a large concrete building in the Moderne and Art Deco idioms, built by the Works Progress Administration from 1941 to 1942 to train U.S. Naval Reserve recruits for World War II. Since 2012 it has housed the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI).
the building
The drill hall. The building's main interior space is a 133-by-100-foot drill hall, used to train thousands of young Naval Reserve recruits during the war.
Funded penny by penny. Construction was promoted by a citizens' committee but delayed for years by fears it would be a 'white elephant.' It was eventually funded by a $99,997 WPA grant, later increased by $69,983, plus $6,399 from the State of Washington and $14,204 from the University of Washington.
the style
The building's Moderne and Art Deco detailing dresses up a functional WPA-era concrete drill hall built for wartime training.
More on Art Decothe architect
The armory was designed by Seattle architects William R. Grant and B. Marcus Priteca, the latter known locally as a theater and civic architect.
significance
The Naval Reserve Armory is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its associations with Depression-era work relief and World War II mobilization; it now serves as MOHAI's home, a reuse that began in 2012.
nearby
- Seattle Times Bldg - Printing Plant
- Immanual Lutheran Church
- Sam Hill House
- Queen Anne High School
- Museum of Pop Culture
- Space Needle