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15th Street Armory? — Brooklynian

15th Street Armory?

malphigian
malphigian
edited November -1 in Park Slope
I'm relatively new to the area and just walked past this huge and impressive building around 8th avenue and 14th street.

I did a bit of googling and all I could find was a name on smalltownbrooklyn.com ( "15th street armory"), considering that was the only place I saw that, I doubt it's the real name.

Anyone know more about the building, what it is properly called and what the history is?

Comments

  • rose
    rose
    I don't know if it has an official name. It's mostly empty now, except for a small women's shelter. For a while, it was used as a soundstage (is that the right word?) for movies -- Donny Brasco was filmed there, I believe. The filming stopped about five years ago after many complaints from the neighbors about the very noisy generator trucks parked outside.

    I have no idea when it was built or when it was last used as an armory. I remember reading that there used to be dances there, in the 40s maybe?

    The City Council has supposedly approved the funding to turn it into a community recreation center -- work is supposed to start in 2007.

    Here's something about the rec center conversion:

    ">http://www.nyc.gov/html/dhs/html/press/pr072204.shtml
  • prusik
    prusik

    Subject: Re: 15th Street Armory?

    malphigian wrote: I did a bit of googling and all I could find was a name on smalltownbrooklyn.com ( "15th street armory"), considering that was the only place I saw that, I doubt it's the real name.

    Anyone know more about the building, what it is properly called and what the history is?
    This from the DEC site:

    The Park Slope Armory is an approximately 110,000 square foot building located on 8th Avenue between 14th and 15th Streets in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn (Block 1102, Lot 12). The building and property are owned by the City of New York, and the garrison portion of the building is currently used and occupied by a 70-bed shelter for homeless women and the Park Slope Veterans’ Center. The proposed project would not affect or displace those uses, which would remain in their current location.

    The Park Slope Armory is Listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, and has also been designated as a New York City Landmark. The proposed project would primarily involve interior renovations. Exterior work involving the replacement of existing doors, installation of new doors and steps, and installation of rooftop mechanical equipment has been reviewed and approved by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

    Further research (Google harder and you'll find what I did and more) says it passed from the NYS Division of Military and Naval Affairs to the the City in 1996. It was known as the 14th Regiment Armory (because it was home of the 14th Regiment of the New York National Guard). There are similar buildings elsewhere in the city - check out the one at Bedford and Atlantic. Not all are as grand as ours - check out the nice pics at http://www.nyc-architecture.com/PS/PS052.htm .
  • seven24
    seven24
    the armory is not only used as a womens shelter but it is also used by near by neighbors to walk their dogs and not clean up after them , by wannabe graffiti artists with spray cans in hand and nothing creative on the bricks they use as their canvas'
    and...late at night on the weekend it's used by the stumbling drunks who walk up the block from the bars on 7th ave to yell at eachother and act a fool. (once in awhile it's also used as a sex playground for dirty freaks)
    it's also used as a toilet by anyone passing by on foot or in their vehicles...oh and let us not forget about the drug addicts and the homeless people who take up shelter on a couple dark corners around the armory;

    be careful when walking by late at night I have seen plenty of stuff happen
  • rose
    rose
    Oh yeah, it is filthy next to the armory. But it's a lot better than it used to be. Remember when there was scaffolding and a sidewalk shed? That was there for years and the sidewalk under the sidewalk shed became unspeakably vile and reeked of urine at all times, plus people slept under there. I didn't walk on that side of the block until they finally took the scaffolding down.
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