NB Track & Field Center


				ARMORY TRACK HISTORY

Armory History
The Armory stands as a brilliant jewel in the center of Washington Heights,
a diverse community in northern Manhattan. Built as a training center for
the National Guard in 1909, it became a venue for many of the city's biggest
events, including track & field meets by the 1920s. In the sixties, the Armory
was the unrivaled center for track & field competitions in greater New York.
But with the economic crises of the seventies and the scourge of
homelessness in the eighties, the Armory was converted to a homeless
shelter, housing over 1,800 beds. By 1987, New York track & field was driven
from its historic home.

In 1992, a State Appellate Court Judge declared
the practice of warehousing homeless people in this
manner to be unhealthy and inhumane.
Simultaneously, aided by economic recovery and
more enlightened policies regarding the homeless,
Dr. Norbert Sander led an effort to revive the Armory track. Along with prominent lawyer Michael Frankfurt,
Dr. Sander founded the Armory Foundation and won

jurisdiction over the building. Within ten months, a new 200-meter track
facility was established.

Nine years later, the Armory is the home to the fastest track in the northeast , in the year 2002 the Armory hosted the USATF championships, as well as one of the most prestigious collegiate invitationals. And in 2004, the first National Track & Field Hall of Fame opened in this grand structure.

But the Armory is more than a track and a museum. It is a place where thousands of high school students and adults from throughout New York City and the surrounding area come to exercise, learn and aspire to improve their lives. The Armory sponsors programs in technology learning through its tech center, as well as programs for literacy, jobs training, teens at risk, mentoring and senior citizens health. In fewer than ten years, the facility has gone from a dire and malfunctioning shelter to a full-service community center, a national landmark, and the pride of the neighborhood.