Annals of the Kingsbridge Armory

In 1917 at Jerome Ave. and W. Kingsbridge Rd. in the Bronx, the 258th Field Artillery Unit found a home at the Kingsbridge Armory. That year the immense brick building took the title for the largest freestanding building in the world, and it is still believed to be the world's biggest armory. n The early part of the 20th century saw a building boom in armories. Some of it may have been due to the brewing Great War in Europe. The war drums were beating and America was preparing to whip its scrawny immigrants into military shape, getting them ready just in case they were needed to go and kill their European cousins. Armories were also built to deal with a menace closer to home. There was a rise in strikes and riots as workers joined unions and decided to take on the Gilded Age industrialists. But the rich never fight fair, and New York wanted to be sure to have armed soldiers on hand for any union organizer or rioter who mistakenly thought New York was his city.

The neighborhood of Kingsbridge grew up around the armory and the IRT el on Jerome Ave. Built in the Renaissance/Italianate style with huge towers and vaulted trusses, it gave a sense of permanence and safety to the neighborhood. As the Bronx expanded, the armory retained its military function, but also became home to midget car races, track meets, concerts and conventions. As blacks and Latinos replaced ethnic whites in the Bronx, the Kingsbridge Armory's last real military use was during the blackout in the summer of 1977. That night the Bronx went buck wild as stores were looted and destroyed, and the National Guard was sent out to restore order. They were a little late in mobilizing, however, and the area has never fully recovered from that one night of mayhem.

Now the Kingsbridge Armory sits fallow and decaying?a metaphor for that section of the Bronx. The National Guard left the main building in 1994, but kept two small units operating in the rear annex. The only use the main armory building had was as a homeless shelter. Then they were asked to leave and the place became a haunted house used by drug addicts and graffiti artists. The building is landmarked and everyone has a theory on what to do with it, but no one wants to pay for the work.

In January of 2000, Rudy Giuliani, along with RD Mgmt. and BasketBall City, announced that the 475,000-square-foot structure would be turned into an urban entertainment and sports center. Eleven hundred permanent jobs and 625 construction jobs were promised. Giuliani declared that "this project will redevelop the long-neglected Kingsbridge Armory and create a major entertainment, sports, retail and community center for the Bronx, which will allow thousands of visitors from around the city."

Last week I called Rita Kessler, the district manager of Community Board 7, and asked what happened to those plans.

"Nothing."

Then a pause from the longtime Bronx resident, who hasn't seen the city do much good by her borough.

"Well, they shored up the roof and the brickwork on the walls, but the 30 million set aside for that is spent. I am hoping that the new mayor coming in will be more community-minded than Giuliani. This district needs schools. And we have had contractors and residents show how schools could be included in with the plans for the stores to be built."

So the fight over the armory is one between commerce and education. One side claims that the neighborhood desperately needs jobs?it does?and the other howls about the lack of space for the district's schoolchildren. But the maintenance of the mammoth structure is expensive, and the budget for upkeep alone would be tremendous. Kessler may be on to something if both camps can work together. But this is going to take a lot of work. The Kingsbridge Armory is a shambles.

"It smells and it's dirty and inside it's a mess," she says. "I've been in the building many times, and it will take a lot of money to fix. They have a magnificent auditorium inside that is completely underwater from years of flooding. The water has nowhere to go. And they only recently fixed the roof, so the water has been sitting there for years. The inside is a disaster."

Kessler sighs. "I'm hoping that this new mayor has foresight. What was put into the budget to repair the outside has been spent. Now we need it to be fixed up and used."

I took a ride up to the Kingsbridge Armory last week on the 4 train. As the el approached I could see workmen on the vaulted roof patching up the immense top. I took a walk around the red-brown brick building surrounded by a 10-foot cyclone fence to keep out the graffiti kids (there's also an older, 6-foot fence of wrought-iron).

I crossed the street and watched as scores of people passed by. No one stopped to notice this anomalous edifice in their backyard. If this were in Manhattan the place would be buzzing. But in the Bronx, 500,000 square feet can lie empty for years and nothing seems to come of it.

The street became thick with high school students let out for the day. Some headed for the train, others picked corners to hang out on. They adopted the decades-old Bronx corner boy persona that transcends race: loose-limbed contempt for anyone passing by.

The neighborhood is now mostly Latino, with a few Jewish and Irish stragglers left, and a recent influx from Vietnam and Cambodia. I stopped by the Archway Inn, once known as the Donkey Disco for its weekend blasts of Irish music and dancing. Now it looks like salsa has taken over, with the Irish showing up only for the early-morning televised soccer matches.

I spoke with a middle-aged Latino man who gave his name as George. He stood across the street watching the high school kids with a wary eye.

"You know what these kids need? They don't need that armory to be used as a school. They need it as a military induction center. Bring back the draft and get these kids some discipline. Straighten their little asses out. Learn how to say, 'Yes, sir.' Do them some good. Bunch of pests. They think all is cool. When they wake up 10 years from now and they're still on that damn corner, then they'll see. But then it's too late. Over. Get them while they're young."

[sullivan@nypress.com](mailto:sullivan@nypress.com)