The Newburgh Armory was constructed in 1932. It was designed by William Haugaard. Haugaard was State Architect during this time.
Haugaard's armories are remarkably diverse in terms of scale, design and level of sophistication. All embody varying degrees of medievalism in the decorative detailing. Haugaard designed at least twelve armories during his tenure. They are:
- Oneida Armory 1930
- Utica Armory 1930
- Jamestown Armory 1932
- Kingston Armory 1932
- Newburgh Armory 1932
- Peekskill Armory 1932
- Binghamton Armory 1932
- Buffalo Armory 1933
- Ticonderoga Armory 1935
- Corning Armory 1935
- Schenectady Armory 1936
- Syracuse Armory 1941
The Newburgh Armory is located on the south side of South William Street in a quiet suburban neighborhood in the southwest fringes of the city. The building occupies a large tract of open, gently sloping land; the property is surrounded by more open land, including expansive fields and lightly wooded areas punctuated by scattered, low-scale, modern development. Lawns and mature trees and shrubbery surround the armory on all sides. A circular driveway provides access to the front (north) façade of the administration building and a paved driveway runs along the west elevation of the building, providing access to a large parking lot beside (west of) the building.
The armory, built for a cavalry unit of the New York National Guard, is a sprawling, asymmetrical brick complex consisting of a two-story, flat-roofed administration building, a one and one-half story, gable-roofed administration building, a one and one-half story, gable-roofed gymnasium (i.e., a small drill shed), a large, barrel-vaulted drill shed, a tack room wing and a stable wing. All sections are constructed of structural steel framing clad with brick curtain walls and stone trim. Fenestration is each section is symmetrical, but overall asymmetry prevails due to the irregular massing of the various blocks.
The interior of the armory, extremely utilitarian in design and decoration, retains a relatively high level of physical integrity. The center entrance hall in the main block of the administration building features two bronze commemorative plaques and a plain, steel and concrete staircase. The remainder of the administration building features numerous small and mid-sized offices and meeting rooms in an irregular configuration. Walls, floors and ceilings are concrete and feature little or no embellishment. Both the gym and the drill shed survive substantially intact and feature steel roof trusses and wainscoted ceilings. The gym retains its original hardwood floor; the drill shed now has a modern concrete floor instead of its original dirt floor. The former stable wing now serves as maintenance and storage space and contains no evidence of its historic function.
The Newburgh (South William Street) Armory was added to the Historical Register in June, 1991.
Unit previously occupied the Broadway Armory.
Other armories in Newburgh:
