Oil City Armory
Why it's listed
Built in 1914 on a flat corner lot in Oil City, the brick armory was designed by the Emmett E. Baily Company of Oil City for Company D, 112th Infantry of the Pennsylvania National Guard. Its composition includes a tall drill hall with a hip roof, flanking two-story administrative sections with flat roofs, and a three-story polygonal office tower at the corner of East Second and State Streets. The tower has Gothic-influenced window surrounds, and the entrance bay has glass double doors under a wooden shed-roofed hood. Steel Pratt trusses with gusset plates support the roof of the 70 by 72 foot drill hall, which has a wood floor and a balcony along two sides. The basement held a rifle range, billiard room, dining room, library and kitchen. The building is significant for its role as a National Guard armory and for its interior arrangement, which follows the typical plan of Pennsylvania armories despite its unusual exterior. The nomination notes very good integrity, although parapet crenels were filled in during 1960.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the armory is significant under criteria A and C as a member of the Pennsylvania National Guard Armories property type. Although unusual in exterior appearance and interior plan among nominated armories, it contains interior spaces typical of Pennsylvania armories, including a drill hall, rifle range, kitchen, locker room and offices. Its late Victorian influences, including Gothic-influenced window surrounds on the tower, are also cited.
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 91000517, listed May 9, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Jct. of E. 2nd and State Sts., Oil City |
|---|---|
| County | Venango County |
| Listed | May 9, 1991 |
| Reference number | 91000517 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1914-1939 |
| Architect / builder | Bailey, Emmett E. Company (architect); Bouquir, L.O./Cossau Brothers (builder) |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Military |
| Level of significance | State |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Within district | Oil City South Side Historic District |
| Coordinates | 41.42732, -79.70895 (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 91000517.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7081305
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.