Puyallup National Guard Armory to be sold. Here’s what it will become
The Washington Military Department is selling its armory building in Puyallup as Troop A, 1st Squadron, 303rd Cavalry Regiment moves into a new facility in Tumwater.
The Puyallup National Guard Armory will be sold to Central Pierce Fire & Rescue after the new Tumwater Readiness Center is completed, said Elizabeth Murphy with the Washington Military Department.
The 110 troops could be moved out of the armory as early as July, Frank Gibson, a property and acquisitions specialist with the Washington Military Department told The Puyallup Herald.
The armory is currently used for the local National Guard unit to do monthly drills and store equipment.
Murphy said the placement of the armory isn’t practical anymore. The armory is located in a residential area in the 600 block of 4th Avenue SE.
Murphy said it would be difficult to navigate tanks if needed or even hold enough parking spaces for drill weekends.
The state Legislature directed the property to be sold to Central Pierce Fire in 2016. Gibson said an appraisal is currently being done, but the last appraisal in 2011 estimated the property and building at about $435,000.
Central Pierce assistant chief Guy Overby said the department intends to build a new fire station. Currently, Station 73 shares a building with police on Pioneer Avenue.
“It’s more like a half station,” Overby told The Puyallup Herald.
Once the transfer is complete, Overby said, the property will be redeveloped almost entirely. A portion of the fire district’s 2013 capital and facilities bond has been earmarked for the purchase of the armory and redevelopment.
“We were thinking by late 2022 to have it up and going,” he said.
The armory was built in 1954 and is considered a historical building by national standards, Murphy said.
“There was an era after World War II that encouraged the expansion of the guard into neighborhoods as gathering points and community centers,” Murphy said.
The state, the City of Puyallup and the historical groups met to discuss preserving the history of the building. A sign memorializing the building will be placed on the property.
“We are also going to research who were the units there and the role played and any prominent local figures who came from that unit,” Murphy said. “We’re going to provide it to the Meeker Mansion and anyone else who may want to do more with that information as well.”
The Puyallup company is not the only one moving to the Tumwater Readiness Center. Olympia’s National Guard armory will be sold once the company moves as well and there may be other unit reorganizations, Murphy said.
Those with questions can contact Elizabeth Murphy at Elizabeth.Murphy@mil.wa.gov.
This story was originally published February 17, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Puyallup National Guard Armory to be sold. Here’s what it will become."
