D.C. Armory
Tenants


Location	2001 East Capitol Street SE Washington, D.C.
Coordinates	38°53′19″N 76°58′32″W / 38.8885°N 76.9755°W / 38.8885; -76.9755
Owner	United States^[1]
Operator	Military – District of Columbia National Guard ^{[note 1]} Nonmilitary – Washington Convention and Sports Authority
Capacity	10,000
Opened	1941
Georgetown Hoyas (NCAA) (1947–49) Washington Diplomats (NASL) (1978) D.C. Armor (AIFA) (2009) DC Rollergirls (WFTDA) (2008–present)

The D.C. Armory is an armory and a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena in the eastern United States, located in Washington, D.C., east of the U.S. Capitol building. Managed by the Washington Convention and Sports Authority, the Armory was constructed^[3] and openedin 1941, as the headquarters,^[4] armory, and training facility^[3] for the District of Columbia National Guard. In recent years it has also become a venue for a broad range of events.^[3] Adjacent to the northeast is RFK Stadium, which opened in 1961.

About

Prior to its construction, the Convention Hall located on 5th Street NW, between K and L had been used as an armory.^[5] Construction on the new armory began on June 2, 1940, and it opened on July 13, 1941.^[6] The structure was designed by the city's Municipal Architect, Nathan C. Wyeth.^[7]^[8] The D.C. Armory replaced the National Armory, a 1910 structure which was designed by New York City architect Electus D. Litchfield.^[9]^[10]

OPLAN 1954, a 1954 war game preparing for an atomic bomb exploding over Washington, D.C., supposed that a vacant parking lot near the Armory could be turned into an emergency airstrip for delivering medical supplies.^[11] Initially, nonmilitary use of the Armory was facilitated by the D.C. Armory Board, which was formed in 1948.^[3] During its existence the board oversaw the use of both the Armory and RFK Stadium.^[3] In 1994 the board was dissolved and the city's use of the Armory came under the authority of the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission (DCSEC), which later became the Washington Convention and Sports Authority.^[3]^[12]

The Armory is served by the Stadium–Armory station on the Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines of the Washington Metro. The Armory shares a 10,000 car parking lot with the adjacent Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium.^[13]

Events

The Armory's Drill Field is approximately 80,000 square feet (7,400 m²)^[3] and has hosted trade shows, concerts, warehouse sales,^[14] the Washington Auto Show,^[15] sporting events, and Presidential inauguration balls.^[3]

The Washington Diplomats played indoor soccer at the armory in 1978.^[16]^[17] The armory has hosted the WCW Capital Combat professional wrestling event in 1990, served as a preliminary tryout venue for American Idol, been a concert venue for Marilyn Manson,^[3] and hosted the Longest Yard Football Classic, a charity game pitting Members of Congress (aided by former NFL stars) against the Capitol Police.^[3] In 2007, the first sanctioned pro mixed martial arts event in Washington, D.C. was held at the armory.^[18]

The Armory has been home to the DC Rollergirls, D.C.'s female flat track roller derby league, since February 2008. In 2009, the Armory became home to the D.C. Armor, an American Indoor Football Association team. Popular Dutch trance artist Armin van Buuren played a six-hour set at the Armory in 2011.^[19] In 2013, facility hosted the IBF Junior Welterweight title fight featuring Lamont Peterson and Kendall Holt.^[20]

During World War II, the Armory was used by the FBI Identification Division to house fingerprint records.^[21]^[22] Inauguration balls spanning from the presidencies of Harry S. Truman to Barack Obama have also been hosted at the Armory.^[3] Frank Sinatra and Peter Lawford produced President Kennedy's pre-inaugural gala at the Armory on January 19, 1961. The cast of performers included Harry Belafonte, Milton Berle, Leonard Bernstein, Joey Bishop, Nat King Cole, Tony Curtis, Jimmy Durante, Ella Fitzgerald, Gene Kelly, Alan King, Janet Leigh, Ethel Merman, Louis Prima, Keely Smith, Pat Suzuki, and Helen Traubel.

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

Current venues in the Women's Flat Track Derby Association

Current venues in the Women's Flat Track Derby Association
East region	Abe Stark Rink Shriners Auditorium Class of 1923 Arena D.C. Armory Dorton Arena Du Burns Arena Earls Court Exhibition Centre Greater Richmond Convention Haygood Skating Center Inline Skating Club of America Independence Family Fun Center John F. Kennedy Memorial Coliseum John Jay Doghouse Kennedy Arena Overlook Activities Center Portland Exposition Building Rhode Island Convention Center Rainbow Rink Romp'n Roll Roller Skating Rink Skate Safe America Sports Centre at MCC Le Taz
West region	1stBank Center Albuquerque Convention Center Bladium Castle Sports Club Climate Pledge Arena Colorado Springs City Auditorium Everett Community College Lane County Fairgrounds Portland Expo Center Roller King Roseville Salt Palace Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium Skateland Spartan Recreation Center Sport Center of Las Vegas TISC Veterans Memorial Auditorium
North Central region	Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Alliant Energy Center The Bunker Central Ohio Roller Hockey Cincinnati Gardens Dave Andreychuk Arena Detroit Masonic Temple Indiana Farmers Coliseum Indiana Convention Center Midwest Sport Hockey Complex Minneapolis Convention Center Rivertown Sports Roy Wilkins Auditorium Sioux Falls Expo Building Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum Swonder Ice Arena UIC Pavilion UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena Wolstein Center
South Central region	Austin Convention Center Bayou Music Center Fair Park Coliseum Knoxville Civic Coliseum Mid-America Center MidSouth Fairgrounds Municipal Auditorium North Florida Fairgrounds NYTEX Sports Centre Pershing Center Rollercade Starlight Skatium Tennessee State Fairground Sports Arena Tulsa Convention Center UNO Human Performance Center USA Skateplex Von Braun Center Wichita Ice Center Yaarab Shrine Center

Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball

Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball
Venues	Washington Light Infantry Armory (1906–1907) Convention Hall (1907–1908) Odd Fellows Hall (1908–1911) Arcade Rink (1911–1914, 1927–1928) Ryan Gymnasium (1914–1927) Clendenen Gymnasium (1928–1929) Tech Gymnasium (1929–1940, 1942–1943) Riverside Stadium (1940–1942) Brookland Gymnasium (1945–1946) Uline Arena (1946–1947, 1949–1951) D.C. Armory (1947–1949) McDonough Gymnasium (1951–present) Capital Centre (1981–1997) Capital One Arena (1997–present)
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NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics