Erie Armory
Why it's listed
Built in 1920 as an armory for four units of the 112th Infantry of the Pennsylvania National Guard, this two-story brick building in Erie was designed in the Colonial Revival style by Joseph F. Kuntz at the W.G. Wilkins company of Pittsburgh. The eastern section was completed in 1920 and the western addition in 1929 more than doubled its size. The building combines an administration section with a drill hall, arranged as a rectangle on a corner lot. Its brick walls have decorative coursing and a crenellated parapet with stone coping. The drill hall is spanned by a two-hinged arch truss system with a steel crescent truss, a wide-span roof design typical of the early twentieth century. Typical interior spaces include a drill hall, kitchen and dining area, locker room, classrooms and offices. The building is important for its military use and for its engineering. Its plan has remained intact, although the drill hall windows were replaced with glass block.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues 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 four units of the 112th Infantry of the Pennsylvania National Guard. Its two-hinged truss roof system over the drill hall is presented as representative of early twentieth century wide-span roof design, giving it engineering significance.
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 89002073, listed December 22, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 6th and Parade Sts., Erie |
|---|---|
| County | Erie County |
| Listed | December 22, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89002073 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1920-1939 |
| Architect / builder | Wilkins, W.G. and Company; Prahl Construction Company; Joseph F. Kuntz (architect) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Military, Engineering, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Integrity is described as good; glass block replaced original drill hall windows and some interior walls and ceilings were altered. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 42.13251, -80.07768 (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 89002073.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5388269
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.