The 3/116 Armory, 29ID....The last one of it's kind

[everforward]

After church today, I drove by the former location of the Armory in Winchester, Va., which was home to the 3rd Battallion of the 116th Infantry, 29th Infantry Division from 1942 until 2009....thought I'd snap a pic and post it here.

 

 

HQ Company and Company I, 3rd Bn. were the units that drilled here.

 

Many a soldier who spent time in the 3/116 spent time here, passed through the doors too many times to mention.

 

This was the last WW2-era Armory in operation within the Commenwealth of Virginia until July 2009, when the 3rd Bn. moved into a new facility not far from the old location, now called a 'Readiness Center'.

 

This old Armory was finished in 1942, and was opened in a dedication ceremony in mid-1942 by MG Charles Evans Kilbourne, who at the time was Superintendant of VMI.

 

The building and land was bought by Shenandoah University, and will be razed in order to make room for university exapnsion.

[Jack's Son]

A venerable old building with much history.....Perhaps the University can have the building moved elsewhere?

It not, at least the land will be used for a good purpose. AND NOT, another fast-food place or strip mall.

[1944]

Intresting photo there with a lot of History attached to that Building

and thanks for sharing it with us along with the Info also :thumbsup: .

[everforward]

As a kid I would go there to Boy Scout flea-markets, train shows and different stuff like that.

 

As an adult I'd go in with friends who were in the unit for whatever reason...

 

On 9/11, it was quite interesting to see concertina wire coiled at the entrances, with armed sentrys walking back and forth. Quite a real moment.

[hink441]

Very sad to see history disappear. Thanks for sharing.

[J_Andrews]

Many such red-brick armories were built through the FDR years Works Progress Administration (as were many post offices). When there were more of them still extant, you could, upon comparing one with another down the road a piece, see great similarities. For example, IIRC the one in Glen Burnie MD was nearly identical to the one in Greenbelt MD (both 115th Inf), and the one in Westminster MD (110th FA) was a sibling if not a twin.