Detroit Naval Armory
About this property
The Detroit Naval Armory is located at 7600 East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It is also known as the R. Thornton Brodhead Armory. The armory was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1980 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. The Detroit Naval Armory is a limestone structure with four main sections: a vestibule, a drill hall, an office / penthouse section, and a company drill hall. The building mixes Art Moderne and Art Deco influences, and contains a large array of nautically themed WPA art by artists including John Tabaczuk, Edgar Yaeger, David Fredenthal and Gustave Hildebrand. The building faces East Jefferson; the entrance is heavily decorated in military and naval themes using Pewabic tiles. In front of the building is a semi-circular drive encircling a flagpole, unveiled May 26, 1942, in honor of Captain R. Thornton Brodhead and a large Navy anchor from the USS Yantic, a Civil War gunboat whose hull is buried in a filled-in boat slip in Gabriel Richard Park. In the 1880s, several states formed "naval militias", the forerunners of present-day Navy and Marine Corps Reserve units. Michigan formed the Michigan Naval Militia in 1893; the militia quickly became a popular pastime for wealthy Detroiters. Even so, the militia fought in both the Spanish–American War and World War I. By 1929, over 600 men were part of the militia, and it had outgrown its existing headquarters. Captain Richard Thorton Brodhead convinced the Michigan state legislature to construct a new building. The state of Michigan and the city of Detroit pooled $375,000 to build a new armory on Jefferson near the foot of the Belle Isle bridge. The new armory opened in 1930, and was used as both a training facility and civic event site. The indoor drill floor was used for dances, USO mixers, auto shows, and political and sporting events. In 1932, future heavyweight champion Joe Louis fought his first career bout. Between May 1936 and 1939, improvements were made to the facility by the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal agency that provided employment and created public works projects throughout the United States during the Great Depression. The extensive remodeling and expansion project included a basement motorpool and gymnasium; enlargement of the third floor, to add an officer's wardroom, mess hall and kitchen; and a fourth-floor penthouse wing to accommodate visiting officers. In addition to that, the Detroit Naval Armory under the Brodhead Naval Armory name also hosted the Detroit Eagles in the National Basketball League, a precursor league to the National Basketball Association, from 1939 until they left the league in 1941 to become a barnstorming team.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Detroit Naval Armory listed on the National Register?
Detroit Naval Armory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 30, 1994.
What type of historic resource is Detroit Naval Armory?
Detroit Naval Armory is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Detroit Naval Armory?
The period of significance for Detroit Naval Armory is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Detroit Naval Armory?
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