The Concord Armory is an historic former
armory at 51 Walden Street in
Concord, Massachusetts
Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. In the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is n ...
. It now serves as the Performing Arts Center at 51 Walden, which is operated by the Friends of Performing Arts in Concord (FOPAC). Resident groups include
The Concord Players, The Concord Band, and The Concord Orchestra. The armory was built in 1887 and added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 2007,
as a rare well-preserved example of a wood-frame municipal armory.
The armory was built in several stages, between 1887 and 1927. The front portion, or headhouse, was built in 1887, and the drill shed added in 1888. In 1896 the drill shed was lengthened. When the building was converted for use by veterans organizations and the Concord Players in the 1920s, the area housing the stage was added, to a design drawn up by the noted theater architect
Clarence Blackall
Clarence Howard Blackall (February 3, 1857 – March 5, 1942) was an American architect who is estimated to have designed 300 theatres.
Life and career
Blackall was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1857. He attended college at the University of I ...
. In 1927 the stage area was extended to the rear to provide additional space for scenery. The building interior was extensively altered in the 1970s when FOPAC took over the property.
[
The lower level of the head house now serves as a lobby area, which also extends into the former drill shed; its upper level serves as a dance studio. The drill shed has been converted into a theatrical auditorium, with its original ceiling trusses exposed, and acoustic treatments on the walls. The basement houses storage space and dressing rooms.][
Historical uses of the building during the 20th century include the screening of films by the ]Red Cross
The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
in the 1920s, and for annual town meetings between 1933 and 1946. It was also used to house town offices, and to provide space for a youth center. Due to its deteriorating condition, the building was several times considered for demolition in the 1950s and 1960s, but public outcry was successful in preventing that fate. FOPAC was formed in 1972 to convert the building into a dedicated performing arts space.[
]
See also
*
References
External links
Friends of Performing Arts in Concord
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Armories on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Buildings and structures in Concord, Massachusetts
Government buildings completed in 1887
National Register of Historic Places in Concord, Massachusetts
1887 establishments in Massachusetts