Butler Armory
Why it's listed
On a corner lot in Butler, Pennsylvania, the Butler Armory combines a one-story brick drill hall built in 1922 with a two-story brick administration section added to its front in 1930. The front section is in the Art Deco style, with decorative brick panels, stone-coped parapet, and recessed entrances beneath segmental brick arches. The armory was built for the 112th Infantry of the Pennsylvania National Guard. Its T-shaped plan, with a drill hall, club room, rifle range, locker room, kitchen, and classrooms, is one of at least thirty-seven such armories in the state. Its design is credited to W. G. Wilkins Company and Joseph F. Kuntz of Pittsburgh, who designed roughly eighteen armories in western Pennsylvania. Listing reflects its association with the state's armory building program and its architectural design. The drill hall's steel Howe trusses support the roof over a 59 by 77 foot space.
Significance in brief: The armory is significant under criteria A and C as a member of the State Armory Building property type in the Pennsylvania National Guard Armories multiple property nomination. It was built for the 112th Infantry of the Pennsylvania National Guard and is one of at least thirty-seven Pennsylvania armories laid out on a T plan. Its design is attributed to the Pittsburgh firm W. G. Wilkins Company and Joseph F. Kuntz, who designed about eighteen armories in the western third of 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 91000903, listed July 12, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 216 N. Washington St., Butler |
|---|---|
| County | Butler County |
| Listed | July 12, 1991 |
| Reference number | 91000903 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1922-1939 |
| Architect / builder | Wilkins, W. G. Company (architect); Kuntz, Joseph F. (architect); Schenck, George and Company (builder) |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Military, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Acreage | 0.4 |
| Coordinates | 40.86304, -79.89700 (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 91000903.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5002568
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.