Springfield Armory National Historic Site

Armory Square is a 54-acre hilltop district in Springfield, Massachusetts, once the administrative center of the Springfield Armory. Nearly thirty brick buildings with slate roofs, white trim and a consistent scale surround an 8.75-acre parade ground. They include the Greek Revival Commanding Officer's Quarters of 1845-46, the West Arsenal of 1807-08 (the oldest surviving building), the Main Arsenal with its clock tower, and a 764-foot cavalry stable and barracks from 1863. Congress established the Armory as a Federal arsenal in 1794, though it had already served as a Revolutionary War supply depot and was the target of Shays' Rebellion in 1787. Its workers helped develop interchangeable parts, and it was long the nation's principal small arms manufacturer. The Armory closed as a military post in 1967-68. Today a technical community college occupies much of the Square, and a museum in the Main Arsenal houses a major small arms collection. Two newer college buildings are considered intrusions.