March 4, 2008
The Armory: D.C.'s Newest Concert Venue?
Ah, our beloved D.C. Armory. Home of such wonderful events like the DC Rollergirls, an occasional boxing card, umm, liquidation sales, and, uhh, American Idol tryouts...
OK, so it's pretty easy to see that the Armory might be a wee bit underutilized.
But if the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission has its way, that could all change through a proposed renovation project, revamping the Armory into a 10,000-seat concert hall and expo center. Although the Armory currently lacks some significant modern amenities (like, you know, air conditioning and fully functioning restrooms — shortfalls the renovations would fix), the DCSEC sees it as revenue lying in a state of concrete hibernation - and for the agency, the extra cash would be a nice little way to get out of a $500,000 shortfall. Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells, though, isn't too thrilled about the possibilities:
“I’m not really interested in a 10,000-person nightclub,” Wells said.
Does the District need another big music venue? Based on discussions we've had before, we're going to go with yes. It might even stand to reason that some bands — a certain British collective leaps to mind — might choose to play the Armory, with it's large capacity and new "acoustical ceilings," over say, Nissan Pavilion or DAR Constitution Hall. At the very least, it would be nice to have another option within the city itself.
Fiscally, though, it seems a risky proposition for an organization that just lost its biggest revenue source, has to fire 13 employees, and halve its grant money to spend $6.5 million renovating an almost 70-year-old building that hasn't been used as a major concert hall, well, ever. Would you go see a concert at a cavernous, newly-remodeled Armory?
Photo by geoff.greene.
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To paraphrase Barton Fink, "What Tommy Wells doesn't know you could almost squeeze into the DC Armory."
It's big, it's isolated, it's got an underutilized Metro stop, it's seconds away from a major interstate.
Bring on the 10,000-person nightclub.
Armory = 10,000
Nissan Pavilion = 25,000
We need bigger!
Heck yeah! Enough of these outdoor shows.
Yes pleeeeeease! For me, metro accessibility outweighs almost any other drawback for a concert venue.
I got it. The Armory becomes the MLS's first indoor arena while RFK is turned into a 30,000 seat concert venue.
damn right, bring on armory live! at RFK square, sponsored by amp energy drink...
or whatever the hell else you have to do. just make sure i get backstage passes...
What exactly was the original purpose of the DC Armory? Right now it's just another eyesore in a region full of eyesores.
Because a 10,000 person nightclub would ruin the tranquility of that neighborhood. Sure...
an almost 70-year-old building that hasn't been used as a major concert hall, well, ever
I guess that's not counting the huge go-go shows, the old Ultraworld raves, inaugural concerts, and the Ethiopian Millennium concert that happened there just a few months ago?
Same purpose as most armories, a militia/National Guard facility. It currently still houses the HQ of the DC National Guard.
Hoops games used to be played there as well (Georgetown played there before moving to Uline Arena for example.)
radiohead is playing nissan pavillion because of their show's sponsor, i.e. a big corporate conglomerate with connections to nissian pavillion. i'm pretty sure they wouldn't have the choice to play the dc armory.
Wells is being knee-jerk. Just assure him that there will be nice, fancy bike racks and he will come around.
The Armory as an entertainment venue would definitely be interesting and, as already pointed out, very nicely located transportation-wise.
In lieu of bands, how about we use it for Laser-Tag? Now that would be wicked cool.
Although a busier Armory would interfere with the tranquility of inmates at the nearby D.C. Jail, we should remodel the place.
Let's help pay for the Armory refurb by disbanding the Sports Sewer and Entertainment Administration or whatever the heck they call that useless entity.
I thought DC only had Air National Guard - have they moved on over to a more, well, air-base-y facility?
what a waste of money....does dc need another entertainment venue? geez get real, tear it down and make it a park or memorial...
i'm pretty sure they wouldn't have the choice to play the dc armory.
Normally I'd agree. But I'm pretty sure Radiohead gets to play wherever they damn well please. The problem here is there's no real option for them in DC, except for maybe the Verizon Center. Every place they've announced so far for the US tour is, I think, an outdoor venue. So if that's what they're shooting for, then they have to go outside the city.
Then again, I could just be trying to desperately hold on to my image of Radiohead as rock saints.
"what a waste of money....does dc need another entertainment venue? geez get real, tear it down and make it a park or memorial..."
Right, b/c a park or memorial will bring in so much cash and not be a waste of money...donkey
Well seeing as DC United is probably on their way out and after they leave there is literally zero other forms of revenue in the area I think it would make a great concert hall location.
Right, b/c a park or memorial will bring in so much cash and not be a waste of money...donkey
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Lmaooooooooo aren't you the economic genius. So where is this cashflow gonna come from exactly? Mci Center? Fedex Field? Nissan Pav? 9:30 club? RFK? The new baseball stadium? How about the entertainment districts covering gtwon, u street, penn quarter, waterfront, bethesda, nova/clarendon, downtown and gawd knows what else. Its a waste of money, trash it and make it community based project that doesn't tick off the neighborhood like a PARK...iraqi puppy
I think the opportunity to provide another music venue for up and coming artists would be a great addition to the DC scene. Currently the 9:30 Club does a great job of getting both large and small
performers to come to their venue. I have seen many shows at 9:30 Club and the crowds that the venue draws are music enthusiasts and active followers of the performers.
-Carolyn
I don't have a dog in this fight, as I suspect Hill Rat lives somewhere close to the Armory and I'm fearful that if I run into him in real life I'll be consumed by lust and jump his bones....
But, tearing down the armory would be sortof stupid. If you really want a park there you've got shitloads of parking lots there already. I'd think it'd be far cheaper to make one of those a park.
I don't know about the concert idea, but this building is sortof charming in it's ugly functionality. I can imagine a growing city could find many uses for it.
I think that would be a good place to hold the current administration on ice whilst awaiting their trial. Maybe a gallows could be installed, with grandstands. And a Starbucks.
Unless some serious acoustic modifications are installed, it's gonna sound like a hockey rink. Unless it's split up into smaller venues, which could be cool.
Screw big venues, we need more small venues. Like the old 9:30 or d.c.space.
And you kids get off my lawn!
DC has Army Guard and Air Guard
the state/district control mechanisms for the combined dept.... which usually in most states includes emergency management and a state volunteer defense force (not the Guard) is at the Armory
the Air Guard has offices there as well, they fly out of Andrews, not sure where the HQ for just the Air Guard is, but the Armory is a combined/joint HQ if it's set up like most states I've been in
I don't have a dog in this fight, as I suspect Hill Rat lives somewhere close to the Armory and I'm fearful that if I run into him in real life I'll be consumed by lust and jump his bones....
Just so long as WifeRat can watch (and you can find us a babysitter) there won't be a problem.
I smell Tracks 2.0.
Nope. Left the top off the Astroglide again. Sorry.
Los Tigre Del Norte have played there twice in the last 2 years, and there have been several reggaeton shows as well as the Ethiopian, go-go, and rave/techno events mentioned by commenter Brian.
I'll take "Interracial Homoerotic Rawdogging" for $200, Alex.
Although a busier Armory would interfere with the tranquility of inmates at the nearby D.C. Jail, we should remodel the place.
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Ha ha! Did you just make that up? Actually, Wells is probably more concerned about the tranquility of the the thriving and politically active neighborhood that abuts the site (and it is, in fact, pretty tranquil, to respond to another sardonic and apparently misinformed commenter). Those of us who live over here and enjoy going to shows would probably welcome a venue as long as there was some soundproofing and surrounding development --restaurants, etc.-- that would contribute more to the neighborhood than occasional noisy parades of rockers and the trash they leave behind.