Flushing Armory
Why it's listed
Completed in 1906, the Flushing Armory is a castle-like brick building on a grassy knoll along Northern Boulevard in downtown Flushing. It combines a two-story administration building, with a five-story octagonal corner tower and a three-story round tower, with an attached one-and-a-half-story drill shed. Crenelated parapets, machicolated cornices, brownstone foundations and a massive arched entrance give it a fortress-like look. State Architect George L. Heins designed it for the 17th Separate Company, a unit tracing its roots to the Hamilton Rifles of 1839. The $82,000 project was paid for partly with proceeds from the sale of the company's earlier Amity Street armory, and it was one of the few New York City armories funded and designed by the state. It is valued as a well-preserved example of the armory building type and as a reminder of the National Guard's role in American military history. Parts of the interior were altered for housing the homeless, and by January 1995 the building stood vacant.
Significance in brief: It is presented as a remarkably intact, representative early twentieth-century National Guard armory in New York State, combining a military facility, social clubhouse and civic monument in a fortress-like castellated style. It is also significant for its association with the National Guard and American military history. It was one of few New York City armories funded and designed by the state.
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 95000270, listed March 23, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 137--158 Northern Blvd., Flushing |
|---|---|
| County | Queens |
| Listed | March 23, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95000270 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1906 |
| Architect / builder | George L. Heins, State Architect |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian; castellated |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Military |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | As of January 1995 the armory was vacant, after homeless facilities were removed and it was being surplussed by the Division of Military and Naval Affairs. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 40.76318, -73.82891 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 95000270.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5462906
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.