Jersey City Armory
Encyclopedia
The Jersey City Armory is located at 678 Montgomery Street near McGinley Square
in Jersey City, New Jersey
. In addition to being a military training and mustering
facility of the New Jersey National Guard
(New Jersey National Guard 2–133 Infantry 250 Jersey City), the WPA era
armory
has long been used as a sports arena
, particularly for boxing
, basketball
, and track and field
events, and more recently mixed martial arts
. 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.
project was completed in 1937, the same year the city's other big sports venue, the since demolished Roosevelt Stadium
. 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. Between 2005 and 2009 the armory underwent a 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. In 2010, the sidewalks around the armory were repaired.
maintains 64 armories within forty-six communities, 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.
Both the former and current armories in Jersey City have played an important role in Hudson County
and New Jersey
's pugilist past, which includes the 1921 Dempsey
– Carpentier
world heavyweight championship at Boyle's Thirty Acres
. The current armory has hosted many bouts, including those with James J. Braddock
, Sonny Liston
, and Chuck Wepner
, aka Bayonne Bleeder. In a 1979 fund raiser for the Jersey City Medical Center then Mayor of Jersey City Thomas F. X. Smith
challenged Muhammad Ali
to an exhibition bout, and went three rounds before a crowd of 8,000. In 2010, the first fight card
in three decades returned to the Armory with the mixed martial arts
Urban Conflict Championship. Trials for the World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup 2011
took place in February 2011.
The arena has also hosted countless basketball games, including those played by St. Anthony High School
, ten time winners of New Jersey's Tournament of Champions
and considered one of the United States
' top high school basketball teams. The school's long-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
coach, Bob Hurley
, was instrumental in bringing about the renewal of the court and other renovations.
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 a fatal accident and, as organ donor, was able to assist four other people after his death.
Prior to the opening of the Yanitelli Center
on its campus nearby, Saint Peter´s College used the venue for its home games, and still occasionally uses the venue for high-profile games.
Many local, regional, and state (New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
) track meets
are also held at the venue. Professional wrestling
events produced by Jersey All Pro Wrestling
have taken place in the arena as well.
In 2004, the Armory was the site of memorial service for deceased Jersey City mayor Glenn Dale Cunningham attended by 5000, and where in 2007 his wife Sandra Bolden Cunningham
launched her political career.
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 25th after their patrol car plunged in the Hackensack River
from a draw bridge which they were not informed had been opened. Along with traditional bagpipes
, Buddhist
monk
s participated in the ceremony, reflecting Nguyen's Vietnamese-American background.
for many projects, including Robert DeNiro's A Bronx Tale
, the Faye Dunaway
thriller Eyes Of Laura Mars
, Laura Brannigan's music video "Self-Control", Woody Allen
's Deconstructing Harry
, Terry Kinney
's Diminished Capacity
, and A Perfect Murder
by Andrew Davis
.
district of the city, near the Art Deco
Beacon complex.
At the Journal Square Transportation Center, PATH rapid transit trains provide connections to Newark
, Downtown Jersey City
, Hoboken
and Manhattan
. Extensive local bus connections to points in Hudson County and to the Port Authority Bus Terminal
are nearby or at the train station. Montgomery – West Side buses
pass the main entrance. On-site parking is not available, but numerous lots are within walking distance.
McGinley Square
McGinley Square is in Jersey City, New Jersey, located near the middle of the city, south of Journal Square. The square itself is at the intersection of two of the city's major thoroughfares, Montgomery Street , and Bergen Avenue .The area was named after Monsignor Roger...
in Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
. In addition to being a military training and mustering
Muster (military)
The term muster designates the process or event for the of accounting for members in a military unit. Within the United States Army Reserve, it is an annual event used for screening purposes.-Historical:...
facility of the New Jersey National Guard
New Jersey National Guard
The New Jersey Army National Guard consists of over 9000 Guardsmen. The Guard is currently engaged in several worldwide and homeland missions. Units have deployed to Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan, Germany and Egypt...
(New Jersey National Guard 2–133 Infantry 250 Jersey City), the WPA era
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
armory
Armory (military)
An armory or armoury is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, issued to authorized users, or any combination of those...
has long been used as a sports arena
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
, particularly for boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
events, and more recently mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
. 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. The Works Progress AdministrationWorks Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
project was completed in 1937, the same year the city's other big sports venue, the since demolished Roosevelt Stadium
Roosevelt Stadium
Roosevelt Stadium was a baseball park at Droyer's Point in Jersey City, New Jersey. It opened in April 1937 and hosted high-minor league baseball, seven major league baseball games, plus championship boxing matches, top-name musical acts, important regional high school football and even soccer...
. The three-story beaux-arts structure features English Renaissance
English Renaissance
The English Renaissance was a cultural and artistic movement in England dating from the late 15th and early 16th centuries to the early 17th century. It is associated with the pan-European Renaissance that is usually regarded as beginning in Italy in the late 14th century; like most of northern...
details with a granite base, brick exterior wall, and terra cotta trim. The massive interior is 175,000 square feet. Between 2005 and 2009 the armory underwent a 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. In 2010, the sidewalks around the armory were repaired.
Notable events
The New Jersey National GuardNew Jersey National Guard
The New Jersey Army National Guard consists of over 9000 Guardsmen. The Guard is currently engaged in several worldwide and homeland missions. Units have deployed to Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan, Germany and Egypt...
maintains 64 armories within forty-six communities, as part of New Jersey Department of Military and Veteran Affairs. Some are used for non-military activities, such as the Teaneck Armory
Teaneck Armory
Teaneck Armory at 1799 Teaneack Road is an armory and arena located on a site in Teaneck, New Jersey. A facility of the New Jersey National Guard, it is home to the Soccer Coliseum.-History:...
, home to the New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
in their first season.
Both the former and current armories in Jersey City have played an important role in Hudson County
Hudson County, New Jersey
Hudson County is the smallest county in New Jersey and one of the most densely populated in United States. It takes its name from the Hudson River, which creates part of its eastern border. Part of the New York metropolitan area, its county seat and largest city is Jersey City.- Municipalities...
and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
's pugilist past, which includes the 1921 Dempsey
Jack Dempsey
William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey was an American boxer who held the world heavyweight title from 1919 to 1926. Dempsey's aggressive style and exceptional punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. Many of his fights set financial and attendance records, including the first...
– Carpentier
Georges Carpentier
Georges Carpentier was a French boxer. He fought mainly as a light heavyweight and heavyweight in a career lasting from 1908-26. Nicknamed the "Orchid Man", he stood and his fighting weight ranged from...
world heavyweight championship at Boyle's Thirty Acres
Boyle's Thirty Acres
Boyle's Thirty Acres was a large wooden bowl arena in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was built specifically for the world heavyweight championship bout between Jack Dempsey of the United States and Georges Carpentier of France on July 2, 1921. It held approximately 80,000 fans and was built at a...
. The current armory has hosted many bouts, including those with James J. Braddock
James J. Braddock
James Walter "The Cinderella Man" Braddock was an American boxer who was the world heavyweight champion from 1935 to 1937....
, Sonny Liston
Sonny Liston
Charles L. "Sonny" Liston was a professional boxer and ex-convict known for his toughness, punching power, and intimidating appearance who became world heavyweight champion in 1962 by knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round...
, and Chuck Wepner
Chuck Wepner
Charles "Chuck" Wepner is a former heavyweight boxer from Bayonne, New Jersey. As a tough but journeyman boxer he went 15 rounds with world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali in a 1975 fight. Wepner is credited as the inspiration for Rocky Balboa. Wepner also appeared in the book Operation Bullpen...
, aka Bayonne Bleeder. In a 1979 fund raiser for the Jersey City Medical Center then Mayor of Jersey City Thomas F. X. Smith
Thomas F. X. Smith
Thomas Francis Xavier Smith was a reformist politician and author. He served as mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, from 1977 to 1981.-Career:...
challenged Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
to an exhibition bout, and went three rounds before a crowd of 8,000. In 2010, the first fight card
Fight card
Fight card, more commonly known simply as the Card, is a term used to refer to all of the boxing, or another hand-to-hand contact sport such as MMA or kickboxing, matches that occur in the evening of a boxing event. The fight card typically consists of the main event and the undercard....
in three decades returned to the Armory with the mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
Urban Conflict Championship. Trials for the World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup 2011
World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup 2011
World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Cup 2011 is a third annual installment of the largest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu event in the world, with combined prize fund of one million US dollars.- Men’s brown/black belt :...
took place in February 2011.
The arena has also hosted countless basketball games, including those played by St. Anthony High School
St. Anthony High School (New Jersey)
St. Anthony High School is a four-year co-educational Roman Catholic high school located in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, operating under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark...
, ten time winners of New Jersey's Tournament of Champions
Tournament of Champions (NJSIAA)
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament of Champions is the sports tournament for New Jersey high schools that determines which high school will be crowned as the #1 overall team in the state for each sport...
and considered one of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' top high school basketball teams. The school's long-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...
coach, Bob Hurley
Bob Hurley
Robert Matthew "Bob" Hurley, Sr. is the basketball coach at St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, New Jersey. Hurley has amassed 26 state championships and more than 1000 wins in 39 years as a coach, creating a national powerhouse despite substandard facilities and financial limitations...
, was instrumental in bringing about the renewal of the court and other renovations.
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
St. Peter's Preparatory School
Saint Peter's Preparatory School is a private all-male Jesuit college-preparatory school located in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA...
graduate who died in a fatal accident and, as organ donor, was able to assist four other people after his death.
Prior to the opening of the Yanitelli Center
Yanitelli Center
The Victor R. Yanitelli, S.J. Recreational Life Center is a multipurpose athletic facility on the campus of Saint Peter's College, a private, coeducational Roman Catholic college in Jersey City New Jersey, United States...
on its campus nearby, Saint Peter´s College used the venue for its home games, and still occasionally uses the venue for high-profile games.
Many local, regional, and state (New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports.-State championships:...
) track meets
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
are also held at the venue. Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
events produced by Jersey All Pro Wrestling
Jersey All Pro Wrestling
Jersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey.-1997:Jersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia on April 19, 1997. This promotion was born out of a dream of "Fat" Frank. He wanted to take the promotion...
have taken place in the arena as well.
In 2004, the Armory was the site of memorial service for deceased Jersey City mayor Glenn Dale Cunningham attended by 5000, and where in 2007 his wife Sandra Bolden Cunningham
Sandra Bolden Cunningham
Sandra Bolden Cunningham is an American Democratic Party politician, who has been serving in the New Jersey State Senate since 2007, where she represents the 31st Legislative District. She was sworn into office on November 8, 2007...
launched her political career.
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 25th after their patrol car plunged in the Hackensack River
Hackensack River
The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles long, in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The watershed of the river includes part of the suburban area outside New York City just west of the lower Hudson River,...
from a draw bridge which they were not informed had been opened. Along with traditional bagpipes
Bagpipes
Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
, Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s participated in the ceremony, reflecting Nguyen's Vietnamese-American background.
Film studio
The floor space and height of the Armory has led to it being used as a temporary studioMovie studio
A movie studio is a term used to describe a major entertainment company or production company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to film movies...
for many projects, including Robert DeNiro's A Bronx Tale
A Bronx Tale
A Bronx Tale is a 1993 American crime drama film set in The Bronx during the turbulent era of the 1960s. It was the directorial debut of Robert De Niro, and follows a young Italian-American teenager as his path in life is guided by two father figures, played by De Niro and Chazz Palminteri...
, the Faye Dunaway
Faye Dunaway
Faye Dunaway is an American actress.Dunaway won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Network after receiving previous nominations for the critically acclaimed films Bonnie and Clyde and Chinatown...
thriller Eyes Of Laura Mars
Eyes of Laura Mars
Eyes of Laura Mars is a 1978 thriller film starring Faye Dunaway and Tommy Lee Jones and directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay, adapted from a spec script titled Eyes, written by John Carpenter, was Carpenter's first major studio film...
, Laura Brannigan's music video "Self-Control", Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
's Deconstructing Harry
Deconstructing Harry
Deconstructing Harry is a black comedy film by Woody Allen released in 1997. This film tells the story of a successful writer called Harry Block, played by Allen himself, who draws inspiration from people he knows in real-life, and from events that happened to him, sometimes causing these people to...
, Terry Kinney
Terry Kinney
Terry Kinney is an American actor and theatre director, and is a founding member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, with Gary Sinise and Jeff Perry.-Early life:...
's Diminished Capacity
Diminished Capacity
Diminished Capacity is a comedy film directed by Terry Kinney and starring Matthew Broderick, Virginia Madsen, and Alan Alda. It was released at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and opened in theaters in July 2008...
, and A Perfect Murder
A Perfect Murder
A Perfect Murder is a 1998 American thriller film directed by Andrew Davis and starring Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow and Viggo Mortensen. It is a modern remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film, Dial M for Murder, though the characters' names are all changed, and over half the plot is completely...
by Andrew Davis
Andrew Davis (film director)
Andrew Davis is an American film director, producer and cinematographer, noted for the action films Code of Silence, The Fugitive, Chain Reaction, Collateral Damage, Above the Law, The Guardian and Under Siege.-Biography:Born on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, Davis has directed several films...
.
Location and transportation
The Jersey City Armory is located in the Journal SquareJournal Square
Journal Square is a business district, residential area, and transportation hub in Jersey City, New Jersey, which takes its name from the newspaper Jersey Journal whose headquarters are located there. The "square" itself is at the intersection of Kennedy Boulevard and Bergen Avenues...
district of the city, near the Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
Beacon complex.
At the Journal Square Transportation Center, PATH rapid transit trains provide connections to Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, Downtown Jersey City
Downtown Jersey City
Downtown is an area of Jersey City, New Jersey that includes the Historic Downtown and the Waterfront. Historic Downtown can be further broken down into the neighborhoods of Harsimus Cove, The Village, Van Vorst Park, Grove Street, Hamilton Park and Boyle Plaza...
, Hoboken
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
and Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Extensive local bus connections to points in Hudson County and to the Port Authority Bus Terminal
Port Authority Bus Terminal
The Port Authority Bus Terminal is the main gateway for interstate buses into Manhattan in New York City...
are nearby or at the train station. Montgomery – West Side buses
A&C Bus Corporation
The A&C Bus Corporation, also known as the Montgomery & Westside Bus Owners Association, is a bus company in Jersey City, New Jersey. All buses operated by A&C are known for their solid red line on the side of the bus and the phrase "use the bus card on this bus" on the front of the...
pass the main entrance. On-site parking is not available, but numerous lots are within walking distance.
See also
- Schuetzen Park
- Paterson ArmoryPaterson ArmoryThe Paterson Armory, an unused armory in Paterson, New Jersey, was formerly a facility of the New Jersey National Guard and an arena. The building at 461-473 Market Street is in a state of disrepair, though studies are underway to determine viability of future use.-Architecture and history:Paterson...
- National Guard Militia Museum of New JerseyNational Guard Militia Museum of New JerseyThe National Guard Museum of New Jersey is headquartered in Sea Girt, with an Artillery Annex in located in Lawrenceville, New Jersey and operates under the auspices of the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs....