Didn’t the 23rd Regiment Armory start as a relief guard? In 1861 it was a relief guard for the 13th Regiment. It took over duties of the Brooklyn City Guard. They were fighting in the American Civil War at that time.
This armory is a historic National Guard armory building. You can find it at 1322 Bedford Avenue. It sits between Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Street. This is in the Crown Heights neighborhood. It is in Brooklyn, New York City. The 23rd Regiment Armory is a castle-like structure. It reminds people of medieval military buildings in Europe.
Fowler & Hough designed it. Isaac Perry also contributed. Construction happened from 1891 to 1895. The 23rd Regiment of the New York State Militia used it first. Since the 1980s, it has been a men’s homeless shelter. There were plans to redevelop the 23rd Regiment Armory in the 2010s.
The 23rd Regiment Armory became a New York City landmark in 1977. It joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The 23rd Regiment was organized in 1861. This was during the American Civil War. An “Armory Law” passed in 1862. It called for armory construction across the state. The 23rd Regiment moved to an armory on Clermont Avenue. That building had pointed arches and a tall mansard roof.
The regiment outgrew the Clermont Avenue location. They needed a new armory. Halstead P. Fowler designed the new building with Isaac Perry. In 1889, John N. Partridge requested $350,000 for construction. The site selected was at Bedford and Atlantic Avenues. St. Bartholomew’s School was there. Two farmhouses and a rowhouse also occupied the land.
The 23rd Regiment Armory received a $300,000 budget. Plans finalized in 1890. The cornerstone was laid in 1891. Costs increased. Another $100,000 was requested in 1892. By 1894, the flagpole shattered in a lightning storm.
The 23rd Regiment marched to the armory in 1894. They took possession of the building. They raised money for furnishings. The 23rd Regiment Armory completed in 1895. The drill room finished in 1902. The total cost was $550,000. A World War I memorial was dedicated outside in 1922.
William Randolph Hearst rented the 23rd Regiment Armory in 1923. It became studio space for Cosmopolitan Productions. The 23rd Regiment Armory also housed the 106th Infantry. The New York National Guard left in the 1980s. Besides military use, it hosted exhibits and sporting events.
In 1982, the city turned it into the Bedford-Atlantic Shelter. This is a 500-bed men’s homeless shelter. People call it “Castle Grayskull” due to its appearance. It became known as one of Brooklyn’s most dangerous shelters.
Redevelopment was proposed in 2012 for $14 million. Plans stalled in 2015. The 23rd Regiment Armory has a three-story administration building. It faces Bedford Avenue. A drill shed attaches to the west. It features circular corner towers. The tallest tower is 136 feet tall. The New-York Tribune praised the armories’ lavish expenditure.
The 23rd Regiment Armory sits on a trapezoidal lot. The northern facade is 460 feet long. The southern facade measures 500 feet. The eastern facade on Bedford Avenue is 230 feet.
The facade uses red brick, Potsdam stone, and terra cotta. The design is imposing. Eight circular towers decorate the exterior. The administration building has a central entrance bay. It includes a sally port with a steel portcullis. A bronze plaque commemorates World War I soldiers.
The administration building’s Pacific Street facade contains seven bays. The drill hall facade has ten windowless bays. The Atlantic Avenue facade is simpler.
The basement once had rifle galleries and a bowling alley. The Council Room features a 24-foot-high fireplace. One article described the company rooms as the best in the state. The 23rd Regiment Armory has quite the history.