Fighting 69th Armory on Lex to Undergo $130M Renovation in Joint NYS/Fed Project

Almost 120 years into its existence, the Lexington Avenue Armory that is home to the famed Fighting 69th Regiment is to be renovated via a state and federal partnership that will pump in $130 million to transform the space from an historical landmark into a top-of-the-line military facility.

The 180,000 square-foot structure “no longer meets the needs of a modern, twenty-first-century military,” according to the New York State Office of General Services.

The bulk of the cost will be shouldered by the federal government. Governor Kathy Hochul said the “much-needed” rehabilitation project will receive $40 million in state funding and $90 million in federal funds. The early-20th century building lacks the training and workspace areas necessary to remain a functional place for soldiers, according to a press release from Hochul’s office.

The armory on has been an integral cog in the New York military system since its completion in 1906. The building housed Fighting 69th, when they were originally made up of mostly Irish immigrants during the Civil War. The regiment has been involved in every major US war since the turn of the 20th century. The soldiers ceremonially marched off to World Wars I and II, as well as the Iraq War, from the building, located on 68 Lexington Ave.

“The rehabilitation of the armory is long overdue, and it will restore the landmark to meet the modern-day needs of the Army,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in the press release.

Schumer said he was proud to “modernize and improve readiness” of the building to reaffirm its place as a productive space for the City, while still keeping its historical integrity intact, according to Hochul.

“The Lexington Avenue Armory is beginning to show its age,” she said. “This renovation will go a long way in preserving the distinctive architectural and historic features of the building.”

Father Francis P. Duffy, whose statue stands just north of Times Square, was the chaplain for the Fighting 69th when the unit was active in the Spanish America War and World War I. He was generally involved in active combat situations accompanying stretcher bearers carrying wounded soldiers and would become the most decorated chaplain in the history of the United States Army.

The armory housing the National Guard Regiment became a National Historic Landmark in 1996, but still remained operational for the people of New York in the days after 9/11 when it was a clearing house for people brining DNA info to match with missing loved ones. Heartbreaking flyers asking “Have You Seen My Daddy?” adorned its walls for weeks as loved ones initially hoped their missing family member could be found alive. It also became a HQ for coordinating aid after much of the coastline of lower Manhattan was flooded after Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

Over the years, the armory has functioned as a homeless shelter, tennis center and fashion runway, according to Flatiron NoMad. The district reports that the building was even home to the New York Knicks some nights in the 1940s when Madison Square Garden was unavailable.

This project is a “once in a century opportunity,” said Major General Ray Shields, who heads the National Guard Regiment. He said it is going to create a stronger army for combat, while also offering New York a batch of soldiers able to aid Hochul in civil support operations.

“We thank everyone involved in making the funding for this project a reality,” he said.

“New York Army National Guard members who selflessly serve our country will be getting the best facilities we can provide,” Schumer said. “Opening this project for bids brings us another step closer to these much-needed and long overdue upgrades.”

Winning bids are expected to be announced in mid-August.