{"nrhp_refnum":"85002852","name":"Naval Armory-Convention Hall","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"75 Woodbury Blvd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Rochester","county":"Monroe County","state":"NY","lat":43.15229541400004,"lon":-77.60490590699999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-10-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick armory at 75 West Monroe Avenue at the south end of Washington Square in Rochester, New York, built 1868 (dated 1868/1871 on the form) and enlarged with east and west wings in 1907. It was designed by Andrew J. Warner and built by Gorsline and Aldridge.","why_significant":"The building was an important center of public life in Rochester between 1868 and 1949, serving as the city's main hall for conventions, rallies and entertainment. After the city bought and remodeled it in 1907, it also hosted major concerts that helped build the audience for later cultural institutions. It was the site of the 1928 Democratic convention that nominated Franklin D. Roosevelt for governor.","narrative":"Built by New York State in 1868 as an armory, this brick building at the south end of Washington Square in Rochester was designed by local architect A.J. Warner as a fortress-like structure blending Italianate, Romanesque and Second Empire features. Its large open floor made it more useful as a public hall than a military post, though it did serve as a staging area for the militia and an enlistment center in 1898. The city bought it in 1907 and added Neo-classical east and west wings, a stage with a proscenium arch, and a U-shaped balcony. Until 1949 it was Rochester's main convention space, hosting political rallies, boxing matches, concerts and the 1928 Democratic convention that nominated Franklin D. Roosevelt for governor. Concerts there helped build an audience that later supported the Eastman Theatre and the Rochester Philharmonic. A 1949 Naval Reserve renovation removed the mansard roof, towers and most interior detail, leaving a parapeted brick block with a steel truss roof.","period_of_significance":"1868-1949","architect_builder":"Architect: Andrew J. Warner; Builder: Gorsline and Aldridge","architectural_style":"Mix of Italianate, Romanesque and Second Empire (original); Neo-classical 1907 wings","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition is listed as good. The building was vacant by the 1960s and later used for city archives storage; local efforts aimed to renovate it as a performing arts center.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:44.650488-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/85002852.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002852/fd036075ad-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002852/fd036075ad-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Matthew D. Wilson (LtPowers)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rochester_-_Geva_Theatre_-_Rear_Angle.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Matthew D. Wilson (LtPowers)</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rochester_-_Geva_Theatre_-_Rear_Angle.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75313670","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geva_Theatre_Center","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5554900"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/monroe-county/naval-armory-convention-hall-85002852/"}