The Minneapolis journal., 1905-08-05
CORNERSTONE OF
NEW ARMORY LAID.
CEREMONIES AT
TEND THE OCCASION.
Local Militia Organizations Turn Out
to Celebrate Beginning OF New Struc-
ture, Which Has Been Sorely Needed
for Years-Cost Will Be About $780,
900, All Provided For.

With martial ceremony Minneapolis
the cornerstone of their new armory.
now going up at Kenwood parkway
and Vinelanu place. The exercises were
under the direction of the armory
board, consisting of Mayor D. P. Jones,
City Treasurer G. S. Hubert and Lieu
tenant Colonel Frank T. Corriston.
The exercises were preceded by a
parade of Companies A, B, T and / of
the First infantry, Battery B of the
band, which left the old armory on
Eighth street at 4 o CLOCK. The line of
march was up Eighth street to Nicollet,
out Nicollet to Tenth street, along
Tenth to Harmon place and out Harmon
place to the Parade, where the militia
men rested until the exercises began
5 'clock. The order of the ceremo-
MES was as follows: >-s 1-
"America,' by the First Regiment band.
Invocation. by Rev. Levi H. IIallock.
Laying of the cornerstone, Mayor D. P.
Jones, assisted by Lieutenant Colonel
Frank II. Corriston.
Selection, by the band.
Address, w. P. Roberts. e.
Star Spangled Banner First Regi-
ment band.
The armory will be one of the finest
national guard headquarters in the
northwest, and aside from being sub
stantial building of striking appearance
will have all the comforts and conven-
fences of the most approved armory.
It will have an immense drill hall, ex-
tensive enough for any evolutions de-
signed for indoor drill. There will be
also smaller hall, company rooms,
baths, etc. The location Of the armorv
opposite The Parade, the new park at
the foot of Lowry hill is a most fortu-
nate one. 1t will enable the companies
to hold most of their summer drills out
of doors, as a considerable portion Of
The Parade will be devoted to baseball
grounds and Fairgrounds, over which
the soldiers can do their drilling with
out causing any damage.
The armory will cost about $40, 900.
By act of Legislature the city council
amout of $150,000 for armory purposes.
The act was passed in 1903 and the or
mory should have been completed ere
this, but there was long delay pend
ing the determination in the courts Of
the question Of the legality of the
bonds. The standing was approved by
the supreme court and last fall the bonds
were sold. Work has since progressed
as rapidly as has been deemed advisa-
ole, anu ny Vne uist oI IHe year Ine
troops will occupy their new home. The
armory board obtained $4,000 as a
premium on the bonds, and has secured
about $4,000 more as interest on daily
balances and will have this tidy sum
| for certain improvements which would
| otherwise have. to be left out, as the
armory board decided that under no
consideration woud the amount of the
original appropriation be exceeded.
The Old Building.
The national guard companies have
used the present armory on Eighth
like, for it has been in a state Of col
lapse for a decade. It was the officers
and men Of the three infantry com
| panies in the city at that time, who
| were responsible for the erection of
the first armory in Minneapolis. Pre-
vious to that time they had been drill
ing in the old Market hall on Bridge
square, but it was not satisfactory
| place by any means. The city was not
disposed to do anything for the soldiers
and so they undertook the enterprise
themselves. The money was raised on
notes signed by the guardsmen, and the
armory after completion was placed
under the control Of an armory com
mittee. In one way or another the
building passed into the hands of other
parties, who demarded substantial rent
In 1891 the city assumed the expense
Of caring for the armory: The expense
in recent years has been about $4,000
annually. -
When the present armory was erected
in 1884 the three companies here were
A, B and I, which are still in existence
Company A was originally an independ
ent Company known as the Light IN
fantry, but later went into the ma
tiona1 guard. The company command
ers of that day were Perry A. Harrison
Company A; Victor Weloh, Company B
and G. McC Reeve, Company I.