New York's Historic Armories: An Illustrated History

By Nancy L. Todd
Illustrated, endnotes, charts, bibliography, appendix, index, 322 pp., 2007. State University of New York Press, 1994 Washington Ave., Suite 305, Albany, NY 12210-2384, $50 plus shipping.

Reviewer: Michael Russert
Michael Russert, a member of the North Shore Round Table of Long Island and the Company of Military Historians, has a MALS plus 60 hours in American Studies. He is Coordinator of The New York State Veteran Oral History Program.

Review:
New York State Historic Armories is an oversized art book that successfully combines architectural history with military and social history.

It simultaneously explores the evolution of the role of the volunteer militia/National Guard along with development of the armory against the backdrop of the social climate in New York State and the nation. A structural analysis and history of more than 120 armories in the Empire State are examined in detail.

Armories have historically had a multiple role in New York's history, as in other states. First, the structure itself suggests a fortress, symbolic of the power of the state and federal government. Second, it functionally served as a place where militia and National Guard units could gather and drill.

Finally, an armory served as a local community resource for social functions, public meetings and sporting events. In addition, when the buildings were planned and under construction, these structures impacted the economy of the communities where they were erected. Distinguished architects were hired to design the buildings while their construction employed hundreds of workers.

The first chapter of the book examines the architectural terms employed to denote the parts of the castle-like armories. This is followed by a well-documented and colorfully illustrated history of the militia in New York.

The New York militia was officially renamed the National Guard in 1862. Initially, these volunteer organizations were a civic, social and fraternal organization; however, with the addition of women to the ranks in the late 20th century, and the ever-expanding role as America's primary reserve in the 21st century, the role of the Guard has been greatly altered.

Following a brief overview of the organization of the National Guard, Todd writes a balanced and clear history of armories. She approaches her topic in chronological order, dividing the development of the armories in New York State into four phases: the 18th century to the Civil War; the 1880s-1890s, an era of great civil and social unrest; the period of Gothic Revival, 1900-1920s; and the 1940s-1950s, when the armory served also as a civil center for the community.

Todd's book is highly recommended not only as a benchmark study of the state armories, but also as an excellent social-military history. She combines a well-written and researched text with hundreds of historic and modern photographs and drawings, which follow the changes in each of the armories in the study.

Many full color images, especially old postcard images, are an integral part of the text, along with numerous charts that document styles, dates of construction and locations of the armories. Todd makes use of her skills as an architectural historian to establish the connection between her discipline and military history.

Normally, cultural historians ignore military history; however, New York's Historic Armories is a groundbreaking study that needs to be required reading, especially by cultural historians.

This book presents a definitive study of the armories in New York State, well documented by Nancy Todd both in words and images. These monumental structures stand as silent reminders of the evolution of the National Guard in our history and its importance in an ever-changing world. New York's Historic Armories represents social history at its best.