Property Record
8520 S HOWELL AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Oak Creek National Guard Armory |
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| Other Name: | Oak Creek National Guard Armory |
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| Reference Number: | 149663 |
| Location (Address): | 8520 S HOWELL AVE |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Oak Creek |
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| Year Built: | 1959 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 20052023 |
| Historic Use: | armory |
| Architectural Style: | Contemporary |
| Structural System: | Steel Frame |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | Type A Armory The Oak Creek Armory was built in 1959. Post WWII there was an additional number of units stationed in Wisconsin. Many of the existing armories were over 50 years old and not sufficient for the needs of the modern military unit. Congress passed the Defense Facilities Law to provide for the construction of new National Guard armories throughout the nation. As referenced before there were two styles used within Wisconsin: Type A and Type B. Type A armories featured a flat roof while Type B had gabled roofs. Type A facilities were constructed of steel truss supports, concrete block and faced with brick; type B were wood truss systems. 2023: The Oak Creek Armory was constructed in 1959 based on a standardized design from the Federal Government. The design of the Oak Creek Armory is referred to as Type A (vs. Type B). Like others built at this time the Oak Creek Armory is a contemporary design and has a one-story outer plan with a two-story drill hall in the center that forms the central block of the building. The armory is constructed of concrete block and faced with brick. It has a flat roof with steel truss supports. The main entrance is located on the west facing façade that fronts STH 38 (Howell Avenue) and is located between two projecting wings. Regularly places single windows are located along the outer shape U while the drill hall features a continuous band of windows. Throughout the state, the windows and doors of most Type A armories have been replaced. The Oak Creek Armory was built in 1959. Post WWII there was an additional number of units stationed in Wisconsin. Many of the existing armories were over 50 years old and not sufficient for the needs of the modern military unit. Congress passed the Defense Facilities Law to provide for the construction of new National Guard armories throughout the nation. As referenced before there were two styles used within Wisconsin: Type A and Type B. Type A armories featured a flat roof while Type B had gabled roofs. Type A facilities were constructed of steel truss supports, concrete block and faced with brick; type B were wood truss systems. In 2009 the Wisconsin Army National Guard completed an update to its Integrated Cultural Resources Management Plan that identified 40 pre-1969 structures that had not yet been surveyed for eligibility for the National Register. The Wisconsin Army National Guard contracted with Heritage Research Ltd. to complete the survey of the pre-1969 facilities. |
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| Bibliographic References: | "Historical/Architectural Survey: Selected Armories of the Wisconsin Army National Guard," Prepared by Heritage Research, Ltd. (2005) Aderman, Ralph M., Ed. Trading Post to Metropolis: Milwaukee County’s First 150 Years. Milwaukee, WI: Milwaukee County Historical Society, 1987. Bessert, Christopher. “Highways 30 through 39.” Wisconsin Highways. Last Modified October 21, 2016. https://www.wisconsinhighways.org/listings/WiscHwys30-39.html#STH-038. “Early Oak Creek Village.” Oak Creek Historical Society. Accessed August 2023. https://plschu.wixsite.com/ochistorical/contact-us. H. Beldon & Co. Historical Atlas of Milwaukee County 1876. Chicago: H. Beldon & Co., 1876. Heritage Research, Ltd. Historical/Architectural Survey: Selected Armories of the Wisconsin National Guard. Menomonee Falls, WI: Heritage Research, Ltd., 2009. Meyer, Alfred. History of the Oak Creek Township. ONLINE. Nelson, James K. “Milwaukee County.” Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. Last modified 2016. https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/milwaukee-county/ “Our City’s Unique History.” Oak Creek Wisconsin. Acessed August 2023. https://www.oakcreekwi.gov/resident/about-our-city/our-city-s-unique-history. United States Census Bureau. “Quick Facts: Milwaukee city, Wisconsin.” United States Census Bureau. Last Modified 2022. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/milwaukeecitywisconsin/PST045222. United States Census Bureau. “Quick Facts: Oak Creek city, Wisconsin.” United States Census Bureau. Last Modified 2022. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/oakcreekcitywisconsin/AGE295222. US Department of the Air Force. Final Environmental Assessment – Disposal and Reuse of General Mitchell International Airport Air Reserve Station Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Milwaukee, WI: March 2009. US Department of the Air Force. Historic Building Inventory and Evaluation Report – General Mitchell International Airport Air Reserve Station. Milwaukee, WI: June 2007. Vollmert, Les. “New Coeln House, Milwaukee County, WI.” National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. Washington, D.C: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1987. Watrous, Lieut. Col. Jerome A., Ed. Milwaukee County: From the Earliest Historical Times Down to the Present, Including a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families in Milwaukee County. Madison, WI: Western Historical Association, 1909. Wells, Robert W. This is Milwaukee. Milwaukee, WI: Renaissance Books, 1970. Wyatt, Barbara and State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Cultural Resource Management in Wisconsin: A Manual for Historic Properties. State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1986. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |