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Built to last, vacant state armory not going anywhere soon

Posted April 03, 2016 7:00 am

The Associated Press

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Two things to know about the abandoned Illinois State Armory: It needs major repair and renovation, but it's not going anywhere soon.

The Illinois State Police left the 80-year-old structure across from the state Capitol in 2008 because of a leaky roof, mold, and inadequate electric and water.

The (Springfield) State Journal-Register reports (http://bit.ly/1RGv1RV ) there have been several past suggestions for the structure, built to house tanks and artillery. But there are no plans currently.

A 2012 report by the National Trust for Historic Preservation detailed several state-armory reuses. Oregon's houses a theater company. Maine's is a luxury hotel.

The Springfield armory was the site of 1960 visits by presidential candidates John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, in 1965 by Martin Luther King Jr., and Muhammed Ali in 1978.

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Information from: The State Journal-Register, http://www.sj-r.com

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