National Register of Historic Places

Olean Armory

Olean, Cattaraugus County, New York
Listed
March 2, 1995
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
95000080

About this property

Olean Armory is a historic armory building located at Olean in Cattaraugus County, New York. It was designed by State architects Isaac G. Perry (1890 structure) and Lewis Pilcher (1919 structure). It consists of a two-story, Tudor inspired administration building constructed in 1919, with an attached Romanesque drill shed constructed in 1890. The building features a number of castellated style features such as turrets and buttresses. From 1946 to 1966, the Armory served as the home arena for the St. Bonaventure University basketball squad. The squad won 99 consecutive home games at the armory before their streak was broken in 1961. In its basketball configuration, the Armory held 2,200 spectators and was noted for its extreme intimate atmosphere (the front row was inches away from the court), poor lighting and ugly aesthetics, with Sports Illustrated describing the armory as an "architectural monstrosity." It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

Location

119 Times Sq.
Olean, Cattaraugus County, New York
42.07822, -78.42822

Categories

MILITARYARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

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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Nearby Historic Sites

Temple B'Nai Israel
Industrial
0 mi
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Complex
Industrial
0.1 mi
Beardsley-Oliver House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Union and State Streets Historic District
Civil War
0.1 mi
US Post Office-Olean
Industrial
0.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Olean Armory listed on the National Register?

Olean Armory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 2, 1995.

What type of historic resource is Olean Armory?

Olean Armory is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Olean Armory?

The period of significance for Olean Armory is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Olean Armory?

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