Illinois State Armory, mid-1930s
The Illinois State Armory at 107-11 E. Monroe St. in Springfield was built in 1936 to replace the State Arsenal, which previously stood on the site but had been destroyed in an arson fire. The new Armory was equipped with what was for that day a massive auditorium/gymnasium, which with ground floor temporary seating could accommodate several thousand people.
During the workday, the building housed offices of Illinois state military and, later, police agencies. However, its spaciousness made the Armory Springfield’s all-purpose venue for large-scale indoor events.
The Armory has been the site of governors’ inaugural balls (beginning with that of Governor Dwight Green on Jan. 13, 1941) and all manner of theatrical and musical productions, from pop concerts to circuses.
The Armory also was the site of city of Springfield functions, such as mayoral swearings-in. It was at the Armory where the city gathered March 14, 1970, to formally accept the award as an All America City from Look magazine and the National Municipal League.
Among people who appeared at the Armory were Willy Brandt, the Cold War mayor of Berlin, boxing great Muhammad Ali, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Both John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon spoke there as presidential candidates, and former president Harry Truman was guest speaker at an Armory banquet in the 1960s.
It was as a sports arena that the Armory is probably most widely remembered. The boys’ basketball City Tournament was held there for many years, along with qualifying games in the state tournament. The Illinois State Armory also was the site of amateur boxing matches, which attracted large crowds into the late 1950s. Armory seating was racially segregated during the building’s first few years, but local African Americans forced that policy to change in the late 1930s.
The building’s electrical and drinking water systems were never upgraded over the years, and it suffered water damage from a leaky roof. Its specialized spaces are not adaptable for modern office use. A Capitol complex development plan drawn up toward the end of the James Thompson administration called for complete rehabilitation of the building, but the money was never approved.
The Illinois National Guard moved to new facilities at Camp Lincoln and the building was taken over by the Illinois State Police. In 2008, the State Police moved most of their operations out of the Armory as well, relocating in the former Franklin Life Insurance Co. building, which the state purchased for the purpose. The Armory currently is unused.
The Armory has been designated an official City of Springfield landmark by the Springfield Historic Sites Commission. Designed by State of Illinois architect C. Herrick Hammond, the structure is a good example of Art-Deco architecture, typical of the late 1920s and 1930s. The Armory’s exterior facades and interior gathering space have been changed very little since its construction.
Contributor: James Krohe Jr. 
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I have a ww2 revolver that was shipped to the Illinois State Armory in 1944. The gun is stamped “ISPS” which I presume to mean “Illinois State………..” Would you have any information which would shed light on the meaning of “ISPS”? Thank you.
Mr. Nelson: One possibility for the “P” is Illinois State Police. But I couldn’t come up with confirmation of any meaning for the initials. Perhaps another reader will have better luck. Thanks for asking.
Who currently is in control of this building? Please and thank you. (dockirk777@yahoo.com)
Doc: State still owns it, but it’s empty. I think Dept. of Central Management Services handles (minimal) maintenance.
The basketball arena is now used as a warehouse. There are pallets full of surplus equipment and furniture. The men drive trucks and lifts right over the wood floor. If the arena is ever used for sports again, the floor will have to be entirely replaced. Otherwise, the building is mostly empty and dark. An awful lot of peeling paint and crumbling plaster.
Mr./Ms. Finnigan: Personally, I’ll be astounded if the Armory is ever used for anything again. Thanks for reading, and thanks for the update.
A lot of great memories from the Armory, mostly basketball. I happened to be there the night Griffin’s Dave Figueira made an almost-full-court shot to beat Southeast in the 1973 City Tournament. First game I saw there: 1970, when basketball court ran east to west (First Street to Second Street). A couple years later, they switched it north to south (from Adams to Monroe). What a noisy, magical place it was.
I was there too Dave:
Figueira lived a block or two away from my childhood home on Lowell Blvd. He bacame bigger than life to this Griffin Sophomore after that.
Thanks for the great memory.
Doug Wilson
Also, some folks might not remember that Springfield High played its home basketball games at the Armory for a number of years, until the current SHS gym opened in the early 1970s.
Thanks for the memories, Dave.
I remember my teenage years late 70’s frequenting MANY great concerts there with my sister such as Boston, Foreigner, Headeast, Journey, Blue Oyster Cult, Peter Frampton, Supertramp….and many more that aren’nt coming to mind. Great times!!!
After they started having them at the CPConvention Center I attended 1 and it just wasn’t the same so we stopped going. They ruined it with their new rules such as we couldn’t leave our seats to walk around. That was the most fun, walking and running into someone, party for a few minutes and move on till we saw another friend to stop and party with. Plus the wouldn’t allow smoking so there went the partying! Lol
Cathy – You forgot AC/DC and Van Halen.
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No mention of the building’s illustrious history as a concert venue? For shame
Mea culpa.
I looked at that building every day for eight years,I went to Trinity Lutheran School and Church right across the street from the Armory and there was a Fire House #2 right next to the school where my cousin Ed Reynolds worked.
I remember the Harlem Globetrotters playing there and a Circus with Elephants and Camels they kept the animals at the State Garage on Klien st. across from the State Power House.
I had the chance to water the animals and got paid 1,50 for doing it.
I saw Joe Walsh and the James Gang at the Armory in ’73 . Good times