Talk of an Armory on the ISU campus started as early as May 1871 with references in the Board of Trustee Minutes. Again in the 1880s there was a call for an armory to fulfil the Colleges requirement of military training as part of the Morrill Act.
In 1917 plans finally started moving forward with the erection of an Armory on the ISU campus, but it was short-lived as World War I put a hold on construction as shortages on materials and escalating costs. It wasn’t until 1919 that movement started with bids for construction materials were solicited, with construction starting in 1920 and it was completed in fall 1921.
On December 16, 1922 the Armory was gutted by a fire, taking with it all of the military equipment stored there. Rebuilding started the following spring as soon as weather permitted and was completed in the spring of 1924. An addition was added to the west side of the structure in 1941 with funds from the Works Progress Administration.
The Armory has been home to the ROTC program since its construction; housing offices, equipment, classrooms, and a firing range. But over the years the Armory has been the home to numerous types of programming not related to military studies. In 1946 the men’s basketball moved into the Armory it could accommodate larger crowds than State Gymnasium. This also resulted in a 1956 seating expansion to provide additional seating for games, and the addition of a concrete floor. The Armory would remain the home of the Cyclones until the opening of Hilton Coliseum in 1971.
The Armory also was used in a number of ways to host large events and gatherings with concerts, Extension displays, and short courses all using the large open dirt floor as home.
Freshman Days and class registration in the Armory gave many students their first extended experience on campus.
Pep rallies and barbeques were held in the Armory the Friday evenings before Homecomings, where the Homecoming Queen was crowned, and the football coach would give a speech before the crowd of students and alumni.
Commencement and Commissioning were also common occurrences in the Armory as the ceremonies had outgrown the capacity of State Gym and weather was always a concern for outdoor ceremonies at Clyde Williams Field.
Veishea activities also found a home in the Armory for a number of years with events like the Dance, Horse Show, and Stars Over Veishea being held in the building.
Starting in the 1970s the Armory was set up for intramural sports, with badminton, volleyball, tennis and basketball all being options.
In the summer of 1980, the Dept of Public Safety and Parking Division moved into the Armory. (PD - Physical Plant, Parking - Hub)
And in the Fall of 1990 the College of Design was allocated space in the open floor so that design studios could be installed, and have remained since.
