The Armory Project

	ON THIS PAGE
The Vision	The Amory Project An Overview	The Armory Project The Process - The Details
	Save The Armory 2007 Veterans Day Program

IMAGINE
Imagine the Armory …

The Armory Project
An Overview

Imagine a multi-use building that would once again take its place as the center of life in Villisca.

Imagine a great room with pull out or drop down walls and a drop down ceiling that transforms the gym to a venue with rich architectural elements for social events, mini-conferences, entertainment events, banquets, to a reception center equal to anything you will find in Des Moines or Omaha.

Imagine a building with the most current technology so those using the building will have access to the resources they need and expect.

Imagine a business hub where small businesses and home-based businesses have large conference rooms and smaller meeting rooms available for business use. Imagine a Hub that would provide a number of business services such as occasional secretarial services and a place to receive business deliveries.

Imagine a place where VHS students would have additional practice areas for sports, mini-assemblies and extra-curricular activities.

Imagine a gathering place for the twenty-somethings in the lower area of the Armory with a place for live entertainment that would gain such a great reputation that it is the weekend destination for young adults from around southwest Iowa.

Imagine a dual-purpose kitchen facility that would not only provide the food service for the twenty-something gathering place and the mini-conferences, the weddings, the parties held on the main level but would be a small production facility for agricultural value-added businesses.

Imagine a building with an eye to the future while preserving and honoring history.

IMAGINE …

Funds are currently being raised for a study of the costs and potential of preserving and renovating the Villisca Armory and creating a self-sustainable facility. This study is being done as a result of community discussions and a community meeting in the fall of 2007.

The study will result in additional community discussions to consider the results of the study and the future of the Armory.

Please contribute to the cost of the study, sending donations to the Villisca Historical Society, 113 West 5th Street, Villisca, IA 5086

This project is to engage the services of an architectural/planning firm to study the opportunity for restoration of the historical Villisca Armory and the associated costs in order to bring it to a viable building for a small business hub, a location for permanent displays of Villisca's military history and other activities bringing new jobs to the community.

The Villisca Armory was built in 1912-13, primarily built with funds raised by local residents, a distinction from other Armories in Iowa. It held the distinction as an Armory located on the community square. Up until the year 2000 it was the oldest Armory building in continuous use since it was completed in 1913. In addition to being used for National Guard functions, including the annual Military Ball, the Armory has served as the primary community recreational and social center for the town of Villisca, hosting VHS basketball games, proms and other dances, local weddings, Saturday night dances, and the annual Firemen's Ball. The architectural/planning firm will evaluate and define the costs of restoration of the Armory and then renovation to allow the building to be self-sustaining while it houses artifacts and documents of Villisca's military history.

A year long community discussion was held in 2007 to consider the future of the Armory. The outcome was an expressed desire to see the Armory restored and regain its value as the center of community life. The consensus was that to make further determinations, a study needed to be done by professionals to determine feasibility and costs.

Historic, Cultural, Tourism Value and Quality of Project

Villisca has a unique history and within that history the Armory has played a significant role. The construction and location has historical significance which would be lost if it were razed. The military contributions of Villisca and the history of the social life in the community is grounded in the Armory. This history can be preserved within the walls of the Armory through the permanent housing of the military artifacts and documents. The Armory will have space where art exhibitions and events can be held. The Armory can resume its role as a center of social and sports life in Villisca. As the Armory takes its place in preserving Villisca's history alongside that found at locations throughout Villisca, it will invite visitors to the community for broad cultural experiences. The history of a community is based in the history of its residents. "We can't innovate, we can't grow, we can't be competitive, we can't increase our living standards and provide a prosperous and sustainable future for our children and grandchildren unless we preserve, protect and use our history." -- Richard Florida speaking to the National Trust on Historic Preservation

Innovation of the Proposed Project

The Armory can not be a stand alone building for historical preservation. After it is restored as a historical building, it will be renovated to serve in several capacities so it can serve as it once served as a center of social life and to house a business hub so it can be self-sustaining. It, out of necessity, will be a multipurpose building so it can retain its dignity and place in Villisca history and in community and economic life.

This Armory Study is funded in part with a grant from the Iowa
Department of Cultural Affairs, Iowa Community Cultural Grant Program,'
a grant from the Montgomery County Community Foundation and
from the donations of many VHS alumni and Villiscans


The Past The Villisca Armory has been the center of social life in Villisca. Here is a May Day program in 1945. The Future - Imagine... arestored and renovated Armory that could again take its place as a social gathering place. Imagine the main room designed so it can be converted from a gym to a venue with rich architectural elements for social events.	The Past The Armory was the home of Company F. Here Co. F is preparing to leave for duty in the Border War in 1916.. The Future - Imagine ... The Armory housing historical artifacts and memorabilia to honor the proud military past of Villisca.


The Past The Armory took its place on the square in 1912-13 being built with funds raised by Villiscans. The Future - Imagine ... The Armory restored to its beauty and prominence on the square, valued as a historical structure and as a modern facility at the center of Villisca's business and cultural communities.	The Past The Armory was the scene of entertainment events-this one of the Cooking School events in 1952. The Future - Imagine ... When the Armory takes its place again as the place for entertainment and social events-perhaps a dinner theatre or a dinner dance in a setting with rich architectural elements

The Armory Project - The Process - The first time I went into the basement of the Armory in 1999, I saw Underground Atlanta. In the 70s, Underground Atlanta was THE place for those in their 20s to hang out. Underground Atlanta was multiple clubs and eateries but a couple of my favorites could easily have started with the basics found in the basement of the Armory. I thought then, with some imagination and some work, what a neat place it would be as a place for young people from Villisca and the surrounding areas to congregate.

Villisca is a good location for small home-based businesses. These businesses do need some support services such as a place for receiving packages and freight, for secretarial services. The office just to the right as you go into the Armory is a perfect location. The rooms on the second level could be turned into small offices and a conference room that could be used by these businesses for business meetings and as a place to meet clients. There is not such a facility available in southwest Iowa. Having such available would not only support current Villisca businesses but would be a tool for attracting new businesses to Villisca.

The Armory in Villisca has a history of being more than just a military facility. It has been the place of sporting events, dances and balls, weddings. It has been the venue for various sorts of entertainment and gatherings. It can be all that and more with some creative redesigning of the first floor. Today the school uses it still for a sports practice facility and for its weight room. For a restored Armory to again take its place as a center of life in Villisca, it must be able to be self-sustainable. Making it available for such things as a food/entertainment establishment and a business hub would provide revenue for that self-sustainability. Other sources of income for self-sustainability would be use for sports events, social events, a museum and a mini-conference center.

In 2007 there was a community conversation about the future of the Armory. It has a wonderful history and has been the center of the social life of Villisca in years past. The questions raised at the meeting were: 1) should the building be left standing; 2) if so, where can money come from for roof repair and for bringing the building up to code so it can be fully used; 3) how can the building be used so it can be self-sustaining - that is, so that revenue from the use of the building will meet the costs of such things as administration, utilities, insurance, taxes, ongoing maintenance and all the other things that go into owning a building; and 4) if it is destroyed, where will the money come from to build buildings for the school activities currently being conducted at the Armory and buildings for the other activities that could otherwise be housed at the Armory.

The conversation, however, was what the cost would be to bring it back to take its place at the center of community life yet again. The outcome of that conversation was that there was not sufficient information available for making a decision so we set out to find the numbers. It seemed that was not as easy as it seemed. The information needed was the cost of restoration, the cost of renovation, and the costs associated with making the Armory self-sustainable. An architectural design firm, Invision, provided an estimate of $24,700 to do a complete study. Just to give the estimate, Abbey Williams, then an intern at Invisions, took over 300 photographs at the Armory documenting the condition of the building. They also obtained floor plans, historical data, and other relevant information. A grant of $11,070 from the Iowa Dept. of Cultural Affairs and a grant of $4,000 from the Montgomery County Community Fdn.have been received toward the study. The remainder needed to be raised from individuals. An Action committee to raise the remaining funds for the Armory study was formed as a result of Study Groups in the Horizons program which Villisca is currently a part of.

There have been some questions raised regarding the cost of the survey. Former Villiscans who are professionals with expertise in the area of finances and architecture were contacted to ask if this pricing was consistent with market pricing and they have both felt the cost is consistent with what will be provided: project management, programming and schematic design. Once the study is completed, the information will go to the school, the current owner of the Armory and will be presented at a Community Meeting where there will be a discussion about the direction the community would like to head with regards to the future of the Armory.

As Villisca Review readers know, a committee was created coming out of the Horizons Study Groups. With just approximately $6,000 to be raised, the committee, with the help of Enarson Elementary students, have reached out to some VHS alumni asking for contributions. As of March 15, we are now just approximately $3,450 from our goal. The Action Committee will be hosting a community dinner fundraiser for March 28 at the Community Center from 5:00 - 7:30. On the menu will be ham balls, cheesy potatoes, green beans, dessert and drinks. Plans are for the Armory to be open for those interested in seeing it. There will some displays at the Armory that evening. Those who would like to make a tax-deductible donation may send it to Mary Hansen, Villisca Historical Society, 113 West 5th Street, Villisca, IA 50864.

~~~Roxanna Sieber,
Villisca Economic Development Initiative


The Past Villisca has had a vibrant business community. The Future - Imagine... a business community building on new opportunities from new technologies. Businesses no longer need to be in metro areas to find success. Many can be rural home-based businesses. The Armory can be a business hub that provides support services for small businesses and telecommuters.	The Past The Armory has been the site of exciting sports events - this one a basketball game in 1952. The Future - Imagine ... aplace where VHS students would have practice areas for sports, mini-assemblies and extra-curricular activities.. A place for adult sports activities, a weight and exercise room for Villisca residents.

The Past
Villisca was the setting for this Pulitzer Prize Winning Photo-The Homecoming-by Earle Buddy Bunker.
Photo used with permission of the Omaha World Herald

The Future - Imagine ...
the Armory providing a place where this historical photo can be permanently displayed with other pieces from Villisca's military history.

The Past
The Armory holds memories of big events-military balls, basketball games …. It was also holds more private memories-like those of Dave Higgins who recalls asking his future wife out on their first date at the water fountain at the Armory.

The Future - Imagine ...
when the Armory takes its place again as the place for social events for our young people-more memories can again be made. The basement could be converted to a meeting place for area teen and young adults.

2008 Senior Class Speech Save The Armory Veterans Day Program 2007
1912 a pivotal moment in Villisca history dominates books, films and the identity of the community. 1912 is grossly commemorated with a blood dripping sign outside of the Moore home, but the year 1912 is more than a murder. It is the erecting of a prominent building that sits quaintly on the north side of the town square compiled of a multi color brick façade, an unidentifiable smell and trophies of Villisca school history are the hidden treasure. All of it sheltered away in a building that has housed years of honorable military service to our country dating as far back as 1876.
	Resurrected from a condemned building by the railroad tracks, the armory was a community funded project, the need to rescue a building that held these memories from the Spanish-American War was the commitment of the Villisca community to payback those who served, even though their sacrifices could never be fully compensated.
The years went by and soldiers from our community were swept away into Europe in the midst of World War I and World War II. In World War II, Company F sent many young men off to war. Many of the company were either killed or captured during the battle of Kasserine Pass in North Africa. After the war, the armory hosted homecomings for a fraternity of brothers who survived and reunions to bring together sorrowful memories of the lives lost.
	But the stories endure the test of time. Recently, a retired veteran contacted the school in search of the 1938 Conference Champion trophy. Here is what he had to say:
I thought you might be interested in why an 86 year old VHS grad would be interested in such a dumpy looking 10 inch trophy.
	In our last conference game the score was tied with a few seconds to go and Don Hole made a half court shot hitting nothing but net. However, the referee said the ball brushed the armory ceiling and the basket didn't count. Otherwise we wouldn't have had to share the title with Creston. We always contested the CO-champion idea. We lost to Council Bluffs AL at districts and didn't get to go to state. Turns out Diagonal won state and we had beaten them early in the season.
These guys in the picture who won it grew up in the Great Depression and all served in World War II. The coach Russell Ruff and Don Hole were killed and Bryson was crippled by a land mine. I flew bombers all over the Pacific and "lucked out".
	Whether it be fortune or luck, it doesn't matter. He survived and we are glad to hear his story echoing through this gym, although this is not the gym associated with the memory of the glory of basketball and the atrocities of war.
Since then, the armory has also played host to arduous basketball practices and gut clenching games. Prom dances, community dances and wedding dances, a weight room, a school, the annual fireman's ball.
	To eradicate this building would be to wipe out an entire nostalgia of what was and what can never be.
1912 should not be remembered as the year of the ax murders, but the solidification of our foundation of military honor and service.
	We don't want to pay a price to keep a building, but have we thought about the price that was paid by our soldiers from the Spanish-American war and onward?
Our soldiers did not abandon us when the call of duty beckoned. We can not abandon this building
	It is more than a leaking roof or frail infrastructure, it is the solidarity of our community past, present and future.
It is a chapel of duty, honor and service and to tear it down or simply abandon its needs would be sacreligious.
	When a soldier is wounded we expect them to receive proper medical attention, when a historical military landmark is eroding, we must also give it the proper attention.
There is more than bricks and wood to this fading structure, this building stands for more than what the etching says out front, it stands for our freedom, for the lives lost and for all the soldiers that made it though those hard times.
	It is not just American to nurture liberty, cultivate freedom and endure everlasting peace, it is Villisca.
What cost will we pay to be all we can be? Please help save the armory.