The Park Avenue Armory in New York City, which is located in the center of the upper east side of Manhattan, was declared an exterior city landmark in 1986, followed by an interior landmark in 1994. The reception and company rooms of the Park Avenue Armory have been described as being the most important 19th century collection to survive in one building. The World Monuments Fund has named the building itself on the top 100 most endangered sites in the world in 2,000. This is the only building in New York to be on that list.
The Armory was first constructed in 1877 under the name of the Seventh Regiment Armory. This building played an important part of the Seventh Regiment in the era of President Abraham Lincoln. The building was later expanded in size as well as going through different name changes. It was part of what they called the Drill Hall at that time. It was redesigned under the Aesthetic Movement in the interior decoration. What this meant was that what characterized the design was the complexity of the ornament surface, providing a variety of historical styles including Moorish, Japanese and other exotic decors. The regimental rooms, even today, are the must exotic brilliantly designed space in all of New York City.
The Drill Hall is still the location of many antique and art shows each year. However, due to neglect and lack of maintenance, very few get to enjoy the original beauty that went into the style and design of the Armory's reception and company rooms. The New York Times wrote an editorial in 1998 imploring the Governor and Mayor to do something to help the condition of this great building before it crumbled altogether. The editorial must have done the trick because for years now the Armory has been in the midst of a giant restoration. The mission is to make it in the fine aesthetic style it was designed so visitors can full appreciate what the Seventh Regiment Armory is all about.
