Name/Title
Duval County AmoryEntry/Object ID
2016.019.045Description
Duval County Amory inside
NE corner of Market and State Streets
Architect: Talley & Summer
The original Armory built in 1897, a three-story building, was built for the Jacksonville Light Infantry, the Duval County Mounted Volunteer GUurd, the St. Johns Greys, Wilson's Battery. the Jacksonville Rifles and the Duval County Cowboys. It was located at the southwest corner of Market and Adams Streets. This building was destroyed in the 1901 Fire and a new armory was built using the remaining walls of the burned out courthouse. The building was inadequate and in 1914, a $150,000 bond was issued to construct the present building.
It was completed in 1916, and at the time it was reported to have Florida's largest military drill hall. The building is fortress-like, with battlemented towers and parapets. A carved stone shield with the emblem of the Florida National Guard tops the central pavilion.
First lady Eleanor Roosevelt came for a speech in 1936. Duke Ellington and his band played the Armory in the 1950s, and Ray Charles performed there in the early 1960s. Janis Joplin packed the house for a concert in 1970 just a few months before she died.
The name of the Armory was changed in 1962, to the Maxwell G. Snyder Armory, honoring the commanding general of the National Guard's 48th Armored Division.
In 1973, the city's Recreation and Public Affairs Department took over the building.
The building has been vacant since 2010, after the Recreation and Public Affairs Department left.Collection
Woodward Photo CollectionMade/Created
Studio
The Woodward Studio, Inc.Lexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Secondary Object Term
Photograph, Black-and-WhiteNomenclature Primary Object Term
PhotographNomenclature Sub-Class
Graphic DocumentsNomenclature Class
Documentary ObjectsNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication Objects