{"nrhp_refnum":"73000314","name":"Armory of the First Corps of Cadets","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"97-105 Arlington St. and 130 Columbus Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Boston","county":"Suffolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.349739879000026,"lon":-71.06999290499994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-05-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A rusticated granite, castellated armory at the southwest corner of Arlington Street and Columbus Avenue in Boston, built 1891-1897 for the First Corps of Cadets and designed by William Gibbons Preston.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the last surviving Victorian armory in Boston and one of the few fortress-like armories of the late 19th century left in the New England-New York area. It is a major work of architect William Gibbons Preston. Its bold corner position and romantic Victorian forms add architectural diversity to the surrounding area.","narrative":"Rising at the corner of Arlington Street and Columbus Avenue in Boston, this granite armory was built between 1891 and 1897 for the First Corps of Cadets, a military organization founded in 1741. William Gibbons Preston designed it as a fortress-like complex with a four-story Head House, a six-story hexagonal tower and a single-story drill hall. Defensive details include turrets with loopholes, a drawbridge, a moat-like space beside the sidewalk, and retractable musket-proof steel shutters. The Cadets raised the money themselves rather than seeking city funds. The cornerstone was laid on October 19, 1891, the corps' 150th anniversary. The Cadets sold the building in 1965, and it was later leased to the University of Massachusetts, which uses the drill hall as a main reading room. It was listed as the last surviving Victorian armory in Boston and a notable example of its type in the region.","period_of_significance":"1891-1897","architect_builder":"William Gibbons Preston (architect)","architectural_style":"Victorian castellated armory","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition and unaltered; leased to the University of Massachusetts and used as a library, student lounges and faculty rooms.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.565124-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/63/7969/63796963/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/73000314.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000314/95d62127c6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000314/95d62127c6-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Tom™5","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FirstCorpsC.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Tom™5</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FirstCorpsC.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796963","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armory_of_the_First_Corps_of_Cadets","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4793764"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/suffolk-county/armory-of-the-first-corps-of-cadets-73000314/"}