Armory

Introduction

The Alumni Sports and Recreation Center, ASRC, also known as the Armory, is a multipurpose building located on 15th Street of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Campus. It is host to sports facilities, many clubs in the institute's community, and other events including the Career fair. It was the home of the majority of COVID-19 testing during the pandemic. It also served as a military armory until it was purchased by RPI in 1971.

The Armory

The Armory was initially built as the Troy Armory in 1920 to replace the Ferry Street Armory, which had been destroyed in a fire in 1917. Designed by architect Lewis Pitcher, the 9.67 acre property served as a headquarters for the New York Guard and National Guard in the area. These units stationed at the Armory included the 105th Army Regiment from 1921 through World War II, where the Regiment saw significant action in the Pacific Theater. From 1961 to 1971, Company "A" 205th Artillery was stationed at the Troy Armory.

RPI's Acquisition

Rensselaer purchased the Armory in 1971 to support the development of its Naval ROTC program. The Institute had sought to acquire the building since 1944 as it was in urgent need of training space for its Naval ROTC program caused by a need for educated officers in World War II. Due to the unwillingness of the state to sell the armory, as well as a lack of federal funding for the construction of a replacement building for the military, an agreement was reached by where the University would pay rent to the state to have access to the space to utilize it as a training ground. This agreement held until 1951, when the need for renting the space was lost, as the Houston Field House could handle such activities. However, the Armory had become a large part of an expansion plan for the Institute, due to it being adjacent to lands it had already purchased, so another attempt was made to purchase it in 1955. However, the same lack of federal funding persisted, delaying the deal until 1957, when funding was opened up for the new construction. The institute contributed 20 acres of land in East Greenbush of the original 50 acres of land on Oakwood Ave it had purchased to use as leverage in the deal, as well as 1.6 million dollars towards the construction of the Glenmore Road Armory as a part of the purchasing agreement. This construction would conclude in 1970, and in 1971, the Armory was officially passed into the hands of RPI. It was also around this time that Naval ROTC returned to the Armory, after being removed from their old offices that were located within the Greene Building.

Armory to Alumni Sports & Recreation Center

Upon purchase, Richard J. Grosh, RPI's president at the time, saw to it that the Armory was renovated into a modern sports and recreation center. The renovations were made possible by donations from the Alumni Association; therefore, it was renamed the Alumni Sports and Recreation Center. Further donations were made to add a wing that included an eight-lane swimming pool and diving boards, which were completed in 1984. These were added by the generosity of Mr. Ellis Robison, who funded the aquatic wing and also donated the proceeds of a coin collection. Robison’s contributions totaled around $650,000, and the gymnasium and aquatic wing were both named after him. To put the donation in perspective, it would be worth over 1.8 million dollars now after adjusting for inflation.

The Alumni Sports & Recreation Center Today

The ASRC/Armory currently has a gymnasium with a synthetic rubber floor, a pool, and a practicing space for the track teams. Club and intramural sports on campus also utilize the gym for practices and games. Especially the baseball team, which has many offices located within the building and occasionally holds practices there.

However, the Armory is still true to its military purpose through its use from the school's three major ROTC programs. The building contains the home space and offices for the two branches headquartered at the school, Air Force and Navy, as well as offices for Mohawk Battalion's "B" company, though the battalion is headquartered at Sienna College. RPI once did have its own Army unit headquartered in the Armory, but moved over to Siena due to lack of space in the Armory. Here, one might find ROTC students here at all times, whether they are exercising on the Armory's track or studying in their respective spaces.

References

“Troy: 15th Street Armory.” New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center. February 2, 2023. https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/index.https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/index.php/?cID=1747php%2F%3FcID.

"Armory / Alumni Sports and Recreation Center (ASRC)." Institute Archives and Special Collections. February 2, 2023. https://archives.rpi.edu/institute-history/building-histories/armory-alumni-sports-and-recreation-center-asrc

"105th Infantry Regiment (United States)." Wikimedia Foundation. February 2, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/105th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)

“Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.” Rpi.edu, 2023, https://archives.rpi.edu/institute-history/richard-j-grosh. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.

‌ “Troy: Glenmore Road Armory :: New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center.” Ny.gov, 2023, https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/armories-arsenals/troy-armory-glenmore-road. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.

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