The 13th Regiment Armory

An Historical Landmark

The 13th Regiment Armory was home to New York’s soldiers who fought in seminal Civil War battles as part of the Union Army which preserved the United States of America in its pivotal moment of national crisis. The 13th Regiment also suppressed the lynching of Black New Yorkers during New York City’s Draft Riots of 1863.

The 13th Regiment Armory was designed by renowned architect, Rudolphe Daus, and was opened in 1894 as the new, and last home of the 13th Regiment Armory. The historic 13th Regiment, New York National Guard, organized in 1847 and was deployed in the American Civil War (1861-65); the NYC Draft Riots (1863); the Spanish-American War (1898); and other important engagements. 

This Armory, the second largest in New York City and among the largest in America, in the 1900s  hosted world class track meets and its huge drill floor was large enough for soldiers to play baseball indoors. Located in the Bedford-Stuyvesant community, today the armory is an historic landmark and a vastly underutilized facility with 232,606 NSF (net square footage), sitting on 2.62 acres of land. It currently houses the Pamoja House Men’s Shelter, operated by Black Veterans For Social Justice – funded by the NYC Dept. Of Homeless Services.