Designed by Wisconsin state military architect Henry C. Hengels, the Platteville Army National Guard Armory was constructed from 1940 to 1942 using funds from the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The armory’s construction was the most substantial WPA building project completed in the city of Platteville. Its construction also represented a distinct and permanent shift in the primary funding structure for new National Guard building projects.

Prior to the formation of the WPA, the construction of National Guard armories was largely financed through a combination of private, municipal, and state funding. During the WPA years (1935-1943), National Guard construction projects utilized this new source of federal funding, and the federal government’s responsibility for financing these facilities continued through the remainder of the twentieth century and to the present day. Representing the Art Deco style and designed to accommodate National Guard functions as well as community events, the Platteville Army National Guard Armory features a distinct headhouse and drill hall plan (typical of armories of this era); a symmetrical façade with a prominent center bay that incorporates military insignia at various locations; the use of glass block windows in each elevation; and an overall vertical emphasis achieved through the use of multiple pilasters and a front bay that projects above the primary roofline. Though no longer in use as an armory, the building continues to serve as a local community center.