Duluth Armory (1915)

1305 London Rd

he 1915 Duluth Armory replaced the smaller 1896 one. According to MNopedia, local architects Clyde W. Kelly and Owen J. Williams chose a “sleek and simple design” for what was then the biggest armory in the state. Of the Armory’s three main parts, the Drill Hall is the most significant. The (successful) application for the building’s placement on the National Register of Historic Places calls the Drill Hall “a restrained version of the Art Moderne style.”

Although originally conceived for military use, the Armory has always hosted social and cultural events, including, most famously, a concert by Buddy Holly in 1959 only days before he died. In 2001, after years of neglect, the Armory was slated for demolition, but public outcry and the 2004 formation of the non-profit Armory Arts and Music Center saved it, and its 2011 inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places reinforced its importance. In 2023, the Minnesota Legislature awarded the Historic Duluth Armory project $4.5 million towards a projected $58 million restoration.