Washington Avenue (Tenth Battalion) Armory
Why it's listed
Occupying nearly all of a 1.4-acre lot at Washington Avenue and Lark Street in downtown Albany, this fortress-like armory was built in 1889-1890 for the Tenth Battalion of the New York National Guard. It combines a 2 1/2-story administration building, flanked by round corner towers with conical roofs, and a large attached drill shed. The walls are red brick on a raised, battered foundation of rock-faced stone, trimmed with stone and glazed tile mosaics. State architect Isaac Perry designed it while work on the State Capitol was temporarily suspended, and it became a prototype for his later armories across New York. The Tenth Battalion was both a military unit and a social club whose members came from prominent Albany families. The building served National Guard units until 1989. Interior features survive, including company meeting rooms with fireplaces and decorated ceilings, an oak double staircase, and a drill shed with oak wainscoting. It remains a notable civic landmark.
Significance in brief: It is an example of the castellated armory type designed by state architect Isaac Perry, and the nomination calls it one of his earliest and grandest armories and a prototype for his later ones. It is also tied to military history through the Tenth Battalion, an elite post-Civil War National Guard unit drawn from prominent Albany families. It served as an active military facility until 1989 and retains a high degree of integrity.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 95000077, listed March 2, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 195 Washington Ave., Albany |
|---|---|
| County | Albany County |
| Listed | March 2, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95000077 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1889-1890 |
| Architect / builder | Isaac Perry, State Architect |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian; castellated style (Romanesque Revival and Richardsonian Romanesque elements) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Military, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | No longer an active military facility since 1989; the form lists its current function as government office use. |
| Acreage | 1.4 |
| Within district | Washington Avenue Corridor Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.65705, -73.76248 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 95000077.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7971673
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.