ADRIAN — For 100 years, the Adrian National Guard Armory — now better known as the Adrian Armory Events Center — has had a rich history and connection to the Adrian community.
The building was built in 1924 and was intended to be a permanent location for the Michigan National Guard and local militia members, where weapons and items could be properly stored, and where meetings and training could be held.
“This is a very unique property,” said Mark Murray, owner of Armory. “It’s designed to work for both the local community and the Army National Guard.”
Murray and his wife Mary have 100 years of dedicated service to the community, and so on Friday, July 5 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., they will be opening the doors of the Armory to anyone who would like to take a tour of the facility. This will allow everyone to travel back in time to when the Armory was founded and what it has been used for since its official opening.
Friday’s open house is one of several events planned for both 2024 and 2025 to commemorate the Adrian Armory’s 100th anniversary.
Plans are still being made for a formal celebration on Sept. 14 at the Armory, with tickets and dinner, Murray said.
Friday’s event is free for all ages to attend. Children must be accompanied by an adult/guardian. It will serve as one of many activities taking place on a busy Friday in Adrian, including the July edition of First Fridays, featuring the Adrian Fire Truck Pull, a Touch-A-Truck event, live music and the Hot Wheels Show & Parade.
At sunset, the sky in downtown Adrian is lit up with a fireworks show sponsored by TLC Community Credit Union.
“We want everyone to have a chance to see (the armory),” Murray said.
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Tours are given of all levels of the facility, including the commercial kitchen space, which is used most often for the Launch Lenawee program, a business incubator in the basement of the armory. The kitchen once fed as many as 200 National Guard soldiers when they were housed at the building near downtown Adrian, 230 W. Maumee St. Now it serves as an annual training program for budding entrepreneurs.
In addition to tours of the facilities, Friday’s celebration at the Armory will also feature live entertainment, sweet treats from Culver’s, hot dogs, refreshments, and presentations about the Armory through the years by the Lenawee Historical Society and others.
A 10-minute video is shown about how the Armory in Adrian came to be. The same video can be found online on the Adrian Armory website at adrianarmory.com/history, and features John Kuschell, an archivist with the Lenawee Historical Society and the Lenawee County Historical Museum.
According to Kuschell, National Guard armories across the country have symbolized the defense of America’s state and union for more than 150 years. Militia volunteers needed space to store equipment and train, which led to the National Guard armory concept, he explained.
In Adrian, local regiments trained at two locations after the Civil War before the armory was built. The first mention of a larger facility in Adrian for the local militia came in 1894, Kuschell said. A new armory committee was formed in 1900.
“As you can see, it took 30 years from the idea to the actual construction,” Kuschell said.
Cities like Adrian could never afford the costs of building their own armory.
The city was able to provide such a facility for National Guard personnel and their functions after it made land available and deeded it to Michigan in 1923. A few locations around Adrian were considered before the permanent location on West Maumee Street was determined.
For the past 100 years, the Armory has been a place where people from the community come together for trainings and meetings, Murray said.
“We hope the Armory continues to do the same thing for the next 100 years,” he said.
The year 1924 is written above the mantle of the Armory’s main entrance, along with the words “Armory Michigan National Guard.” However, when construction of the building began, there were delays in financing and the facility did not open until late 1925, Murray said. The first event recorded at the Adrian Armory was a military ball in March 1926.
Today, the Armory is used as a business development and meeting venue. The Adrian Armory touts its spacious rooms that are large enough for group events, business meetings or private parties. It also offers monthly room rentals, conference rooms, co-working spaces and small office workstations for a few hours or a day.
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“The Adrian Armory Community Center is dedicated to the growth and development of Lenawee County through educational programs and small business development services,” according to adrianarmory.com. “Our event venue provides a unique setting for your next event. While preserving the historic value of many features throughout the building, our multiple event spaces provide ample space and seating for gatherings of all sizes.”
The Murrays became involved in the transition of leadership of the building in 2016 after the Michigan National Guard ceased using it. Renovations to the building, primarily interior, began in 2017 and were completed in 2018, along with grand opening events. Such renovations included a restoration of the wood flooring in the main meeting space, new lighting, stained glass doors donated by Adrian Public Schools, restoration services of stone, wall cabinets, and wood restored from Adrian Public Schools’ former Garfield and McKinley elementary schools, and renovations to the Bravo Room and Great Room.
— Contact reporter Brad Heineman at bheineman@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: twitter.com/LenaweeHeineman.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Adrian Armory Events Center Celebrates 100th Anniversary with Open House
