{"nrhp_refnum":"66000503","name":"Watervliet Arsenal","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"S. Broadway","address_restricted":false,"city":"Watervliet","county":"Albany County","state":"NY","lat":42.71934091850005,"lon":-73.70809150192434,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1966-11-13","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1966-11-13","areas_of_significance":["Industry","Military"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A military arsenal district on South Broadway in Watervliet, Albany County, New York, established in 1813 during the War of 1812 and still an active U.S. Army facility. It covers about 110 acres and contains both historic and modern structures.","why_significant":"The arsenal has served the nation continuously since 1813, with its busiest early years during the Mexican and Civil Wars. Its greatest technological achievements followed the creation of the government cannon factory in 1889, which produced the first American 16-inch gun in 1902 and the first atomic cannon in 1953. Surviving buildings include an 1859 cast-iron storehouse and early stone magazines and quarters.","narrative":"Watervliet Arsenal, on South Broadway in Watervliet, New York, began in 1813 as a War of 1812 installation and is still an active Army arsenal. Its first brick buildings are gone, and the Erie Canal, which once crossed the grounds and powered workshops, was filled in 1940. Surviving early structures include the East Powder Magazine of 1828, with four-foot-thick stone walls and the oldest building on site, a second magazine of 1849, an 1840 ammunition laboratory, and limestone quarters and barracks from the 1840s. The 1859 cast-iron storehouse, fabricated by the Architectural Iron Works of New York, now serves as an ordnance museum. The arsenal's largest role came after 1889, when a government cannon factory was built. It produced seacoast guns, America's first 16-inch gun in 1902, 465 cannon in 1918, and the first atomic cannon in 1953. That long record of weapons manufacture underlies its recognition.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Architectural Iron Works of New York (cast-iron storehouse, 1859)","architectural_style":"Plain Classic-derived style in the limestone quarters; Greek and Roman detail on the cast-iron storehouse","criteria":[],"status_note":"Active U.S. Army arsenal; the cannon shop still repairs and produces large guns, and the cast-iron storehouse is used as an ordnance museum.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:40.088361-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/66000503_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000503/c8f86ad441-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000503/c8f86ad441-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Alfred T. Palmer","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:16-inch_coast_artillery_gun_stamped_Watervliet_Arsenal_1921.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Alfred T. Palmer</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:16-inch_coast_artillery_gun_stamped_Watervliet_Arsenal_1921.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75315626","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watervliet_Arsenal","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7974555"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/albany-county/watervliet-arsenal-66000503/"}