Under the auspices of the New Jersey Department of Military and Veteran Affairs, the armory is leased to the city for community and political events and extracurricular sports programs. It has also been used as a film studio.
Architecture
The armory was built to replace the previous Fourth Regiment Armory which had burned down in 1927.[2] An arch at Pershing Field park in Jersey City Heights is a portion of the entrance façade from the previous armory.
The Works Progress Administration project was completed in 1937, the same year the city's other big sports venue, the since demolished Roosevelt Stadium.[3] The three-story beaux-arts structure features English Renaissance details with a granite base, brick exterior wall, and terra cotta trim. The massive interior is 175,000 square feet.[4] Between 2005 and 2009 the armory underwent a $5.7 million refurbishment which included state-of-the-art running surface, a new basketball court, new lighting and a four-sided scoreboard as well installation of new locker rooms and restrooms.[5][6] In 2010, the sidewalks around the armory were repaired.[7]
Notable events
The New Jersey National Guard maintains 64 armories within 46 communities,[8] as part of New Jersey Department of Military and Veteran Affairs. Some are used for non-military activities, such as the Teaneck Armory, home to the New Jersey Nets in their first season.[9]
Since 2005 the annual Dan Finn Classic, a day of basketball games, has taken place at the Armory. The event is in memory Dan Finn, a St. Peter's Preparatory School graduate who died in an accident and, as organ donor, was able to assist four other people after his death.[15]
Prior to the opening of the Yanitelli Center on its campus nearby, Saint Peter's University used the venue for its home games, and still occasionally uses the venue for high-profile games.[11]
In 2004, the Armory was the site of memorial service for deceased Jersey City mayor Glenn Dale Cunningham attended by 5,000,[17] and where in 2007 his wife Sandra Bolden Cunningham launched her political career.[18]
In 2006, a funeral attended by thousands took place at the armory for Jersey City Police officer Robert Nguyen. He and his partner, Shawn Carson, had died on December 25 after their patrol car plunged in the Hackensack River from the Lincoln Highway Hackensack River Bridge which they were not informed had been opened. Along with traditional bagpipes, Buddhistmonks participated in the ceremony, reflecting Nguyen's Vietnamese-American background.
[19]
^Karnoutsos, Carmela; Shalhoub, Patrick (2007). "Fourth Regiment Armory". Jersey City Past and Present. New Jersey City University. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
^Karnoutsos, Carmela; Shalhoub, Patrick (2007). "Roosevelt Stadium". Jersey City Past and Present. New Jersey City University. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
^Karnoutsos, Carmela; Shalhoub, Patrick (2007). "New Jersey National Guard Armory". Jersey City Past and Present. New Jersey City University. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
^Wojnarowski, Adrian (June 3, 2003). "Twenty-five years later, Boe makes up for mistake". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 5, 2007. They were supposed to host a one-game playoff at the Armory on March 23, 1968, but the circus chased the Americans to the Commack Arena on Long Island. Trouble was, nobody bothered to check out the court.... Mikan declared the court unplayable, New Jersey had to forfeit the game, Kentucky advanced to the playoffs and New Jersey never played another game in Teaneck Armory.
