In our June 2013 post, we featured the upcoming sale of National Register listed state armories located in historic communities throughout the Commonwealth.  To date, eight of the armories marketed for adaptive reuse by the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs have been sold to buyers who have agreed to purchase the buildings with a historic preservation covenant. The covenants will help to ensure future improvements to the buildings will be carried out in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings.

One of the last to be offered for sale is the Ridgway Armory centrally located in the Borough of Ridgway, Elk County at 72 North Broad Street. The two and one-half-story brick veneer building features a stepped parapet and projecting central bay at the facade. The main entrance is through double doors set into a recessed arch typical of the Romanesque style. A stone water table wraps around the building The 16,000-plus square foot building includes a drill hall at the upper story as well as administrative space, classrooms, and a kitchen. The armory occupies a quarter of an acre on a main thoroughfare.

Surprisingly, this handsome building has gone through several bidding cycles without a successful sale. The current solicitation for bid is available on the Department of General Services website and will remain open until April 23, 2015. With a minimum bid of only $5,000, this is an opportunity that’s worth a second look. For more information on this opportunity to give a new life to a historic building, please contact Department of General Services staff Lisa Kettering at lkettering@pa.gov.

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