Tonawanda (25th Separate Company) Armory
Why it's listed
Built in the mid-1890s for the 25th Separate Company of the New York National Guard, this armory at the corner of Delaware and Benton Streets in Tonawanda combines a two-story administration building with an attached drill shed. Its red brick walls rise from a battered Warsaw blue granite foundation, and a five-story octagonal tower, round towers and a two-tier arcaded porch give it a fortress-like, castellated look. State Architect Isaac Perry designed it, and it is one of nearly twenty surviving armories attributed to him. Builders met quicksand on the site, so the whole structure rests on piles. Inside, the original oak staircase, oak and tile mantels, pressed metal ceilings and a quartered oak drill floor survive. The armory was valued as a highly intact example of its building type, meant to serve the guardsmen and to stand as a civic monument, and for its link to the National Guard's role in American military history. It remained in military use in 1993.
Significance in brief: The armory is a remarkably intact example of a late nineteenth century armory built for a local National Guard unit, with the three distinctive traits of the property type: civic monument, administration building with attached drill shed, and medieval military-influenced design. It is one of nearly twenty surviving armories attributed to Perry. It is also linked to American military and National Guard history.
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 93001539, listed January 28, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 79 Delaware Ave., Tonawanda |
|---|---|
| County | Erie County |
| Listed | January 28, 1994 |
| Reference number | 93001539 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1896 |
| Architect / builder | Isaac G. Perry |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Richardsonian Romanesque; Castellated style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Military, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as an active military facility as of August 1993; the interior largely retains its original features, though some spaces have been subdivided. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.04417, -78.87248 (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 93001539.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7820742
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.