Morris tribune., 1920-05-21
ARMORY TO BENEFIT
ENTIRE COMMUNITY
County to Come Into It's Own
Thru Erection of New
Buildings

OFlaI ArmOfy may be put, suggest
themselves upon viewing the plans
for the building, and also for the
Municipal Building, submitted by J..
W. Henry, the architect.
The armOry which is to be 63
feet wide, and 40 feet long, will
have its main entrance on 5th street,
and will extend along Oregon Ave
toward 9Th. 1t will be connected
with the municipal building, whose
entrance will face on 9Th
The large dining-room, in which
two hundred people may easily be
served at one time, will be in the
basement, with a kitchen adjoining.
The basement will also contain store
rooms for the company equipment,
boiler and furnace rooms, shower
baths, and a rifle range 11x6O feet
in size.
On the first floor will be the Com
pany and Battalion rOoms-at the
right of the main entrance-and the
Memorial rOOm-tO the left of the
entrance. The latter will be used for
keeping the county War Records col
lection, which is at present at the
public library. Most of the room on
the first floor is, of course, taken up
by the drill hall. This is 118 feet
long by 81 feet wide, and can hold
1900 people. Galleries for spectat-
ors are to be built in on either end.
The second floor will also contain
a company and non-commissiOned
officers rooms and storage rooms.
The Municipal Building with it's
entrance on 9Th street, is to measure
25X63 feet on the outside. It will
have no basement, but there will be
rooms on the first and second floors.
The first floor will contain the fire
hall, the Office of the chief of police
and fire-proof vault, and the second
floor the city managers office, and
the municipal court room.
"Fhe Armory and Municipal
Building will fill a Iong-felt want
thruout the entire county" says
Mayor Geenty. ''The county will at
last be able to display it's resources
and its accomplishments by means of
agricultural exhibits, by corn, alfalfa
and auto shows, which we have new
er been able to put on before. And
we are very much pleased of course.
to have fire hall of adequate size"
In speaking of the project, T.
Utne, superintendent of the Morris
schools states: THE Morris Public
Schools donated three lots for the
armOry site. This was done for two
reasons. In the first place the armorv
will be an excellent thing for both
the city of Morris and Stevens coun-
ty. In the second place the Public
Schools frequently need a hall that
will accommodate a larger audience
than any present building in Morris
can do. The High School basket ball
teams will welcome the opportunity
of playing their games in the new
armOry. The High School COM
mencement exercises will undOubted-
ly be held in the armory after it is
completed. The new Armory will be
a boon to the Norris Public School. :"
In speaking of the Importance of
the Armory to the West Central
School Of Agriculture, Supt Miller
mentioned the fact that thru the
uses to which the school would put
the new building, the entire county
would be benefited. Mr.. Miller says:
THE proposed new Armory for
Morris will mean much to the West
central School of Agriculture and
will greatly enlarge it's sphere of in
Huence by making it possible to hold
snort courses and meetings of more
past several years the school has been
greatly handicapped because of a
lack OF auditorium space which
would accommodate large crowds
Because of this condition it has been
impossible to hold large short courses
or conduct winter meetings which
would draw people from all over the
district. The new Armory with it's
large drill floor which can be used
for auditorium purposes will make
it possible for the school to conduct
a series of winter meetings possibly
combining with them a corn and
livestock show which will attract
farmers in large numbers from all
over western Minnesota. With an
auditorium of large capacity avail
able for such purposes the School Of
Agriculture can enter new field Of
activity and in a real sense make
Morris the hub of all the agricultural
activities of west central Minnesota.
Such organizations as the Minnesota
Crop Improvement Association Min
nesota State Dairyman's Association
and others will be glad to come to
Norris for their annual meetings
when such accommodations are avail
able. There is much sentiment
throughout the district for the in
augUration of an annual livestock
E and corn show to be held at Morris
during the winter. This proposal
has large possibilities and when COM
hinna ILL, a rnr.inn "A aanA.aoA z,,rn-