Olean Armory
Why it's listed
Olean Armory, at 119 Times Square, is a brick military building made up of two parts built nearly three decades apart. The rear drill shed dates from 1890 and was designed by State Architect Isaac G. Perry for the 43rd Separate Company of the National Guard. It has a steep hipped roof, buttresses with turret-like tops, and Romanesque-inspired detailing. An earlier mansion on the site served as the unit's headquarters until it burned in the 1910s. In 1919 State Architect Lewis Pilcher added a two-story Tudor Revival administration building in front of the drill shed, with a crenelated parapet and a fortress-like central entrance pavilion. Inside, the entrance hall, staircase, woodwork and a second-floor meeting room with original Stickley furnishings survive. The armory was listed for its architecture, as a well-preserved example of the New York armory type, and for its link to the National Guard's role in American military history.
Significance in brief: The armory is argued to be an intact, representative example of a New York Army National Guard armory, combining an administration building with an attached drill shed and medieval military-style design. It is also significant for its association with the National Guard and the volunteer militia in American military history. It reflects the work of State Architects Isaac G. Perry and Lewis Pilcher.
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 95000080, listed March 2, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 119 Times Sq., Olean |
|---|---|
| County | Cattaraugus County |
| Listed | March 2, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95000080 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1890 - 1919 |
| Architect / builder | Drill shed: Isaac Perry, State Architect; Administration building: Lewis Pilcher, State Architect |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: castellated; Early 20th Century: Tudor Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Military, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed current function is armory (defense); the form describes the interior as retaining a high degree of integrity and notes that Olean Armory was an active military facility as of May 1993. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.07822, -78.42822 (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 95000080.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7085961
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.