Teaneck Armory

 ( American Basketball Association Venues ) 

[[File:Teaneck Armory front jeh.JPG|thumb|West front On the right: An M42 Duster Self Propelled Anti Aircraft Vehicle]] Teaneck Armory is an armory and arena located on a site in Teaneck, New Jersey. It is owned and operated by the New Jersey National Guard.

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History The facility was completed in 1936 at a cost of $1 million.Davis, Tom. A Place For Troops, Troupes, Hoops: Teaneck Armory Still Vital, copy of article from The Record (Bergen County), January 2, 2002. Accessed June 6, 2007. It was designed by Louis S. Kaplan (1896–1964), who as a young architect won a competition to design the Trenton War Memorial 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 Brooklyn Nets in the National Basketball Association. In 1968, the Americans were forced to forfeit a playoff game against the Kentucky Colonels because a circus group had rented the armory that week and the alternate location selected for the game, Long Island Arena in Commack, New York, had a floor in such poor condition that it was deemed unplayable.Wojnarowski, Adrian. "Twenty-five years later, Boe makes up for mistake", ESPN.com, June 3, 2003. Accessed June 5, 2007. "They were supposed to host a one-game playoff at the Armory on March 23, 1968, but the circus chased the Americans to the Commack Arena on Long Island. Trouble was, nobody bothered to check out the court.... Mikan declared the court unplayable, New Jersey had to forfeit the game, Kentucky advanced to the playoffs and New Jersey never played another game in Teaneck Armory."

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,Ivry, Bob. "FILMMAKERS DESCENDING ON NEW JERSEY", The Record (Bergen County), June 17, 1998. Accessed June 6, 2007. "When Randy Sokol Sweeney was asked to find a New York-area spot in which to shoot the indoor scenes of "You've Got Mail", a romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, she tried the usual studios in Queens, but they were booked. Then she checked out Teaneck." Bogus, and Stonewall. The armory has also hosted concerts, three-quarter midget car races, Boy Scout jamborees, professional wrestling, political rallies (including a November 6, 1960 campaign rally by presidential candidate John F. Kennedy Remarks of Senator John F. Kennedy, Teaneck Armory Teterboro, NJ (sic), American Presidency Project, November 6, 1960. Accessed June 5, 2007.), circuses, indoor soccer and various military uses. It has also been used for ceremonies and celebrations commemorating Eid ul-Adha.

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National Guard The Teaneck Armory can be distinguished by the M42 Duster 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, and Kosovo, among other places. Additionally, a squadron of the New Jersey Wing of the Civil Air Patrol is located at the Armory.

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Flag In 2010, the armory unfurled its first garrison flag since 1936. Received as donation, the flag had hung over Wall Street office building for 21 days after the September 2001 attacks. 15 feet wide and 20 feet long, it weighs 50 pounds.

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See also

• Jersey City Armory
• Paterson Armory

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External links

• Teaneck Virtual Village - links to articles about the Armory
• Soccer Coliseum - indoor sports programs. Web site features interior shot of facility

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