The state will spend $13 million to help transform the historic Mount Vernon Armory into a community center for seniors, children and job training, state officials said.
The 8,900-square foot building on North Fifth Avenue was built in 1889 and served as the headquarters for several infantry regiments. It was turned into a senior center in 1961 but has remained vacant since the pandemic.
The state investment will allow the city to turn the building into a multi-purpose center with after-school programs and summer camps, food distribution and senior meals as well as programs for children with disabilities, according Gov. Kathy Hochul's office.
“This project represents a significant investment to turn a long-neglected building into a new center for
opportunity,” Hochul said in a statement. “We’re bringing this once-derelict building back to life as a community hub where residents of all ages will have access to essential services they rely on.”
Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard praised the state investment in a social media post, noting it would join additional state and federal funding previously announced and going towards the project.
"For generations, the Armory supported New York National Guard soldiers and became part of the civic fabric and character of Mount Vernon," Patterson-Howard wrote.
The building's purpose shifted in the 1960s to become home to the city's Office for the Aging and other community services and events, the post added, noting the building was condemned in 2021 due to "significant deterioration" after the pandemic-forced closure.
Still, Patterson-Howard added, the city and elected officials "did not give up on the Armory."
"For years, our city staff, partners and advocates worked diligently to make the case that this building was worth saving not simply because of its history, but because of its future," Patterson-Howard said.
Thomas C. Zambito covers energy, transportation and economic growth for the USA TODAY Network’s New York State team. He’s won dozens of state and national writing awards from the Associated Press, Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Deadline Club and others during a decades-long career that’s included stops at the New York Daily News, The Star-Ledger of Newark and The Record of Hackensack. He can be reached at tzambito@lohud.com
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Mount Vernon Armory to be transformed with $13M in state funding
