Armory
Janesville
The Armory in downtown Janesville was built in 1930 as a National Guard Armory. It also served as headquarters for the 32nd Tank Company, which became Company A of the 192nd Tank Battalion in 1940. Within a year, the Janesville tank company, known as the Janesville 99, had been trained and dispatched to the Philippine Islands, where troops would eventually be forced to surrender to the Japanese and embark on the tragic Bataan Death March.
“It has some important history, and there’s a lot of historical integrity to the space,” said Christine Rebout, executive director of the Janesville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
After the building had sat vacant for several years, the exterior was restored and preserved to its original appearance; the interior was renovated to serve as an event venue that can host up to 500 guests. It was also used as a dinner theater, so it has great audiovisual capabilities, Rebout said.
The main space is the Drill Hall, a World War II-era military drill hall with patterned brick walls, exposed metal-beam ceilings, large windows and an open floor plan that can seat about 350 for dinners or more for presentations. Just off the hall and adjacent to the lobby, the Bunker Lounge has a copper bar and connects to an outdoor patio.
Upstairs, the Lieutenant’s Quarters is a separate space with its own private bar that can accommodate up to 52 guests. Across the hall, the Lieutenant’s Alcove is large enough for an additional 20 people.
The Armory also sits on the fringes of Janesville’s downtown, which is undergoing “a huge Renaissance,” so guests can easily walk to a pub, a restaurant or local shops, she said.
