Teaneck Armory
Encyclopedia
Teaneck Armory at 1799 Teaneack Road is an armory
and arena
located on a 13.66 acres (55,280.1 m²) site in Teaneck
, New Jersey
. A facility of the New Jersey National Guard
, it is home to the Soccer Coliseum.
and after its dedication became the leading state architect until the early 1960s, designing or adapting many of its armories.
From 1967-68, the arena was the home of the New Jersey Americans of the American Basketball Association
, the team that later became today's New Jersey Nets
. In 1968, the Americans were forced to forfeit a playoff game against the Kentucky Colonels
because a circus group had rented the space that week and the alternate location selected for the game was unplayable.
In 1997, the armory as renovated to an arena desinged for indoor soccer
known as the_Soccer_Colliseum.
Over the years the expansive floor and high-ceilinged space has been used for numerous film shoots, including Sweet and Lowdown
, You've Got Mail
., Bogus
, and Stonewall
. The armory has also hosted concerts, rallies (including a November 6, 1960 campaign rally by presidential candidate John F. Kennedy
), circuses, indoor soccer and various military uses. It has also been used for ceremonies and celebrations comemmorating Eid ul-Adha
.
anti-aircraft vehicle and the M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle
facing Teaneck Road. During 2005, the major units of the 50th Main Support Battalion assigned to drill at the Armory were deployed for service in Iraq
and Kuwait
, along with many other units of the New Jersey National Guard
. Other elements of the New Jersey National Guard based at the Teaneck Armory have been deployed to Afghanistan
, Guantanamo Bay
(also known as "Gitmo" in military circles) and Kosovo
, among other places. Additionally, a squadron of the New Jersey Wing of the Civil Air Patrol
is located at the Armory.
office building for 21 days after the September 2001 attacks. Fifteen feet wide and 20 feet long, it weighs fifty pounds.
Armory (military)
An armory or armoury is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, issued to authorized users, or any combination of those...
and arena
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
located on a 13.66 acres (55,280.1 m²) site in Teaneck
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. A facility of the New Jersey National Guard
New Jersey National Guard
The New Jersey Army National Guard consists of over 9000 Guardsmen. The Guard is currently engaged in several worldwide and homeland missions. Units have deployed to Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan, Germany and Egypt...
, it is home to the Soccer Coliseum.
History
The facility was completed in 1936 at a cost of $1 million. It was designed by Louis S. Kaplan (1896-1964), who as a young architect won a competition to design the Trenton War MemorialTrenton and Mercer County War Memorial-Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Building
Trenton and Mercer County War Memorial-Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Building is located in Trenton, New Jersey. The building was built in 1930 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 11, 1986. It was designed by Louis S. Kaplan , who as a young architect won a...
and after its dedication became the leading state architect until the early 1960s, designing or adapting many of its armories.
From 1967-68, the arena was the home of the New Jersey Americans of the American Basketball Association
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
, the team that later became today's New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. In 1968, the Americans were forced to forfeit a playoff game against the Kentucky Colonels
Kentucky Colonels
The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did...
because a circus group had rented the space that week and the alternate location selected for the game was unplayable.
In 1997, the armory as renovated to an arena desinged for indoor soccer
Indoor soccer
Indoor soccer or arena soccer, or six-a-side football in the United Kingdom, is a game derived from association football adapted for play in an indoor arena such as a turf-covered hockey arena or skating rink. The most important difference in play is that the indoor field is surrounded by a wall...
known as the_Soccer_Colliseum.
Over the years the expansive floor and high-ceilinged space has been used for numerous film shoots, including Sweet and Lowdown
Sweet and Lowdown
Sweet and Lowdown is a 1999 American comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen which tells the story of a fictional arrogant, obnoxious, alcoholic jazz guitarist named Emmet Ray who regards himself as perhaps the best guitarist in the world, or second best, after his idol, Django Reinhardt...
, You've Got Mail
You've Got Mail
You've Got Mail is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Nora Ephron, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. It was written by Nora and Delia Ephron based on the play Parfumerie by Miklós László. The film is about two letter-writing lovers who are completely unaware that their sweetheart is in...
., Bogus
Bogus (film)
Bogus is a 1996 American fantasy film directed by Norman Jewison, written by Alvin Sargent, and starring Whoopi Goldberg, Gerard Depardieu, and Haley Joel Osment. It features magic tricks with magician Whit Haydn as consultant. It did poorly at the box office and Goldberg was nominated for a Razzie...
, and Stonewall
Stonewall (film)
Stonewall is a 1995 historical comedy-drama film. Inspired by the memoir of the same title by openly gay historian Martin Duberman, Stonewall is a fictionalized account of the weeks leading up to the Stonewall riots, a seminal event in the modern American gay rights movement...
. The armory has also hosted concerts, rallies (including a November 6, 1960 campaign rally by presidential candidate John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
), circuses, indoor soccer and various military uses. It has also been used for ceremonies and celebrations comemmorating Eid ul-Adha
Eid ul-Adha
Eid al-Adha or "Festival of Sacrifice" or "Greater Eid" is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God, before God intervened to provide him with a sheep— to sacrifice...
.
National Guard
The Teaneck Armory can be distinguished by the M42 DusterM42 Duster
The M42 40 mm Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun, or "Duster," is an armored light air-defense gun built for the U.S. Army from 1952 until December 1959. Production of this vehicle was performed by the tank division of the General Motors Corporation. It used components from the M41 light tank...
anti-aircraft vehicle and the M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle
M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle
The M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle is a military engineering vehicle based on an M60A1 Patton main battle tank chassis with a hydraulically operated dozer blade mounted on the front effectively functioning as an armored bulldozer, plus an A-frame crane boom hinged on either side of the turret and a...
facing Teaneck Road. During 2005, the major units of the 50th Main Support Battalion assigned to drill at the Armory were deployed for service in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, along with many other units of the New Jersey National Guard
New Jersey National Guard
The New Jersey Army National Guard consists of over 9000 Guardsmen. The Guard is currently engaged in several worldwide and homeland missions. Units have deployed to Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan, Germany and Egypt...
. Other elements of the New Jersey National Guard based at the Teaneck Armory have been deployed to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Guantanamo Bay
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is located on of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba which the United States leased for use as a coaling station following the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903. The base is located on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas...
(also known as "Gitmo" in military circles) and Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
, among other places. Additionally, a squadron of the New Jersey Wing of the Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force . CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and...
is located at the Armory.
Flag
In 2010, the armory unfurled its first garrsion flag since 1936. Received as donation, the flag had hung over Wall StreetWall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
office building for 21 days after the September 2001 attacks. Fifteen feet wide and 20 feet long, it weighs fifty pounds.