HistoryLink Tours

860 Terry Avenue N

Initially planned and designed in 1937, the Naval Reserve Armory opened on July 4, 1942. The city of Seattle Landmarks nomination notes the building’s curious combination of Art Deco, which emphasized verticality and geometric motifs, and Moderne, which favored horizontal forms and simply shapes. At its peak use during World War II, the site contained 25 buildings, including messhalls, a Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service barracks, and a chapel, and could accommodate 800 trainees who would become range finders, welders, gyro-compass operators, and ammunition handlers.

Many of the site’s buildings were torn down after the war but the Armory continued to serve the Naval Reserve and Marine Corps Reserves. During the Vietnam War, 30 units, totaling 800 reservists used the facilities. With end of the war and overall reduction of the military presence in Seattle (closure of Fort Lawton and Sand Point Naval Air Station), public officials agitated for the Lake Union facility to become a public park space. In 1998, the Navy decommissioned the Armory and the city acquired the buildings and property. The Museum of History and Industry opened in 2012.