Duluth Armory Rehabilitation seeks New Bill

DULUTH, Minn.-A bill to provide funding for the restoration of the Duluth Armory has gained momentum as it went through the House Capital Investment Committee last week.

The bill would provide $7.5 million dollars for the development of the mixed-use economic development and cultural center.

Built in 1915, the Armory served as a training facility for the Minnesota National Guard and then later as a concert venue for big names such as Johnny Cash, Louis Armstrong, and Bob Dylan.

The non-profit Armory Arts and Music Center purchased the space in 2003 and since have been working on it’s rehabilitation, with hopes of turning it back into a place for people to gather and celebrate.

“It’s going to be a little industrial, a little rough, but it’s going to be just a beehive of activity and just creative juices flowing everywhere, and, we want this to be some place where people come out, they’re casual, it’s a happy place to be and you want to keep coming back,” Armory Arts and Music Center Executive Director, Mark Poirier says.

In December of 2021, a partnership with Sherman Associates was made for a $25 million dollar investment into the project. Once the restoration is finished, the Duluth Armory is looking at a grand reopening in May of 2024.