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Historic National Guard Armory

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1930–1931, Durwood Kyle. 619 DeQueen St.
  • (Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, A Division of the Department of Arkansas Heritage)

This prominent downtown landmark was built for the Mena National Guard Unit, federally recognized in 1921 as Battery D, 142nd Field Artillery, 5th Arkansas Infantry. The 70 × 125–foot two-story rectangular stone building served as storage for ordinance and a site for drills and community events. Dominating the two-story flat-roofed front section containing the offices is a projecting central entrance bay with castellated stone parapet. Vertical panels articulating the five-bay facade resemble buttresses, reflecting the national predilection for vaguely medieval castellated forms for armories. The gambrel-roofed rear one-story wing containing the drill hall is articulated by long, narrow windows separated by buttresses, while overhead curving brackets sweep along the eaves. The boxy outlines of the armory render it uninteresting when seen from afar, but the rough, random fieldstone walls reward a closer look with a myriad of visual delights of earth tones and textures. In 2004, Rich Mountain Community College purchased the armory and restored it as a venue for special events.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Cyrus A. Sutherland with Gregory Herman, Claudia Shannon, Jean Sizemore Jeannie M. Whayne and Contributors
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Data

What's Nearby

Historic Lindsey Brothers Motor Co.
Janssen Park
Mena City Hall (U.S. Post Office)
Historic Elks Club
Mena Depot Center (Kansas City Southern Depot)

Citation

Cyrus A. Sutherland with Gregory Herman, Claudia Shannon, Jean Sizemore Jeannie M. Whayne and Contributors, "Historic National Guard Armory", [Mena, Arkansas], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/AR-01-PL3.

Print Source

Cover: Buildings of Arkansas

Buildings of Arkansas, Cyrus A. Sutherland and contributors. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2018, 155-156.

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