Connecticut Street Armory - Table of Contents

Exterior - Connecticut Street Armory

Erected:	1898-1900
Architect:	Lansing & Beierl
Style:	Richardsonian Romanesque
Status:	National Register of Historic Places Buffalo Landmark

TEXT Beneath Illustrations

---

Click on illustrations for larger size -- and additional information

At Vermont and Niagara Streets , invading British troops fought a skirmish	Looking south on Niagara Street, City Hall is clearly visible	Early photo	Castle-fortress design was typical of such structures in the nineteenth century
Building is the second largest armory in New York State and one of the largest in the country	Cornerstone with Masonic and traditional dates	When opened during the Spanish-American War, this was called the 74th Regiment Armory	WPA plaque
Richardsonian Syrian arch	Broad entrance arch with its mammoth voussoirs		Crenelated tower with corbel supports
Bronze sculpture of a World War I doughboy	Deeply recessed windows are typical in Richardsonian Romanesque structures	Round arched windows with hoodmold and voussoirs	Copper reinforcement on Medina sandstone battlement
Richardsonian Romanesque style incorporates towers, here crenelated	Corbel supports for crenelated tower		Corbeled turrets on tower over center entrance on Connecticut St.
Corbeled, crenelated turret Loopholes Corbels	Crenelated parapet 5 loopholes Corbels	Corbeled, crenelated turret Crenelated round tower with loop holes (filled in)	Niagara Street (west) elevation

2017 photo

---

War of 1812   ...  
"[Peter]Porter was able to escape through the Niagara Street side, wearing only his linen nightshirt. Porter, who was 40 years old at the time, ran down Niagara Street to the home of Robert Franklin near Connecticut Street. Franklin, an African American, loaned his horse to Porter, who then rode to Buffalo and assembled a militia of Buffalo citizens and Seneca Native Americans who fought along with army regulars. " - Chris Brown

---

After Richardson's Buffalo State Hospital, the Connecticut Street Armory makes the most expressive use of native Medina sandstone of any building in Buffalo. Most impressive is the broad entrance arch with its mammoth voussoirs and deep reveals. The castle-fortress imagery was typical of such structures in the nineteenth century. The armory, which was erected on the site of the old Prospect Reservoir, contains a drill hall that at the time of construction was hailed as one of the largest unobstructed floors in the world. In addition to engineering excellence, the building possesses beautiful carved oak staircases and woodwork.

Connecticut Street Armory is the second largest armory in New York State and one of the largest in the country. When it opened during the Spanish-American War, it was called the 74th Regiment Armory. Williams B. Lansing was the architect of this immense, castle-like, Medina sandstone building. The Richardsonian Romanesque style of the structure incorporates towers, crenelated roof lines, tall slit windows, and many other fortress features. The armory is entered through a deeply recessed archway formed by especially large, wedge-shaped stones called voussoirs.

Inside, the drill hall was one of the largest truss-spanned, clear-space interiors in the world at the time of construction. Besides superb engineering to provide such breathtaking features, there are handsome carved-oak staircases, doors, and moldings.

---

Sources:

• Buffalo Architecture: A Guide, by Francis R. Kowsky, et. al. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1981
• Classic Buffalo: A Heritage of Distinguished Architecture, by Richard O. Reisem and Andy Olenick