The Pawtucket Armory, listed on the National Register of Historic Places (read the National Register continuation sheet), was built in 1894-95 in the Romanesque Revival style. Like many other armories of its period, it is castle-like in appearance and embellished with turrets, crenellated battlements (complete with slits for boiling oil and cross-bows), terra cotta decorative devices, extensive copper detailing, and an impressive wrought iron entrance gate. With a total of 43,200 square feet of interior space, the Armory includes a massive drill hall of 11,000 square feet.

For the first century of its existence, the Armory was home to several companies of state militia such as the Pawtucket Horse Guards, the Kearney Light Infantry and the Tower Light Infantry, all of which were later reorganized into the Rhode Island National Guard.

The Armory wasn’t used exclusively for military purposes. At one time, circuses, boxing matches, grand balls, and post-parade parties took place here. After the last National Guard units left the building, in 1994, this magnificent structure sat vacant for the next 11 years.

In 2000, the City of Pawtucket, which had acquired the Armory from the State of Rhode Island in 1998, began the search for a new and creative use for the building. The Pawtucket Armory Association proposed purchasing the building for $1 and raising funds to renovate the Armory, overseeing required reconstruction, and managing the restored building as The Arts Exchange, a center for the arts and arts education. Pawtucket selected PAA to redevelop the Armory, and, in December 2002, it sold the Armory to PAA.