This photo was taken in 1938 before the Auditorium was demolished to make way for the Armory to expand as the United States entered World War II.

When the Armory was built in 1921, it was a symbol of Park Rapids' booming growth from remote village to established community. In February 1922, Park Rapids was authorized to form its own Army National Guard unit. Company G of the Sixth Minnesota Infantry, a seventy-member unit, based in Park Rapids needed a headquarters.

City and county officials deliberated among several sites and eventually decided on this one next to the town auditorium on Park Avenue. The state allocated $25,000 for construction of the armory. It was designed by Saint Cloud architect Nairne W. Fisher and was in full use by early 1923.

The armory was dominated by a large barrel-vaulted Drill Hall with a full basement. A large Works Projects Administration (WPA) addition in 1941 added classrooms, a garage, and a stage facing the Drill Hall at the corner where the 1913 Auditorium had been. As the United States began to prepare for war, the Armory hosted physicals for incoming servicemen, provided equipment training, and housed National Guard members.

Along with its military uses, the Armory also hosted local sporting events. The Park Rapids high school basketball teams used the Drill Hall for games. The Armory continued to provide a base of operations for Park Rapids' National Guard unit until 1992, when cost cutting measures called for the closure of the Park Rapids Armory.

The building's future was uncertain, but grants and private investment offered the building new life. It was reopened as the Armory Arts and Events Center in 2021, allowing the Armory to remain a vibrant piece of Park Rapids life.

203 Park Avenue South
Park Rapids, MN 56470

Open Site Location on Google Maps
46.9209490376326, -95.0587657563431