{"nrhp_refnum":"89000707","name":"Massachusetts State Armory","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Wakefield","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.50139348500005,"lon":-71.06988160799995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-07-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, nine-bay brick armory on Main Street in Wakefield, Massachusetts, built in 1913 by the State to replace an earlier armory that burned in 1911. It now serves as a civic center.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it a fine example of the Neo-Classical style and argues it represents three centuries of Wakefield's military history. It meets Criterion C at the local level and retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association.","narrative":"This brick armory on Main Street in Wakefield was built by the State of Massachusetts in 1913, replacing an 1894 armory on the same street that burned in 1911. It is two stories tall and nine bays wide, with a two-story portico on the east facade carried by four full-height columns. Neo-Classical details include a stone watertable, a cornice with modillion blocks, and first-floor windows with exaggerated keystones. A parapet above the cornice carries a stucco panel motif that does not imitate historic forms. A gymnasium wing was added to the west around 1913. The building recalls a military tradition in Reading, South Reading and Wakefield that began with the Reading Infantry Company in 1644. It includes the Richardson Light Guard, organized in 1851 and called to serve in the Civil War three times. Recognized for its architecture and its link to local military history, the building is now used as a civic center and is in fair condition.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Neo-Classical","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Present use is a civic center; condition is described as fair.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:00.68203-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/8/7911/63791108/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89000707.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000707/909f7839b4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000707/909f7839b4-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Massachusetts_State_Armory,_Wakefield_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Massachusetts_State_Armory,_Wakefield_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791108","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_State_Armory","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6784374"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/massachusetts-state-armory-89000707/"}