Second Regiment Armory and Battery D Buildings

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Second Regiment Armory and Battery D Buildings
Life Span: 1882-1898
Location: Michigan av. north of the Exposition Bldg.
Architect: Unknown

Edwards’ Annual Directory in the City of Chicago, for 1884

Battery D First Artillery

Chicago Tribune, February 23, 1880

The matter of allowing the Second Regiment, Sixth Regiment, First Cavalry, and Battery D to erect armory buildings upon the Lake-Front is still in status quo. It may be settled by the Council to-night.

Second Regiment Armory and Battery D Buildings.

Inter Ocean, June 13, 1881

D BATTERY’S ARMORY.
The Foundations Are Now In-A Description-Needs.
Some time about the beginning of the year 1866, Edward P. Tobey and Frank S. Allen, who had served in Battery A. Illinois Light Artillery. reorganized the old Dearborn Battery. The fire of 1871 wiped out their guns and practical organization. During the labor troubles of 1877 the Mayor called for a battery as an auxiliary to the police department. This call resulted in the organization of battery D, I. N. G., in July, 1879.

At the last roll-call the organization numbered 104 active members and forty honorary members. Most of them have seen artillery service in the war. The command now has four twelve-pound guns, three six-pound Napoleons, and one Gatling gun.

Through the influence of honorary members, the Council recently voted the company the use of 125 feet of the lake front, just north of the Exposition Building, on which to erect a permanent armory. The foundations are now laid.

The armory will have a frontage of 125 feet on Michigan avenue, will extend back a distance of 200 feet, and will be constructed of brick with stone trimmings, and an iron truss roof. The front will be in the Queen Anne style of architecture, and will have an elevation of fifty feet at the highest point. The corners will be finished with pavilions forty-one feet high. The main entrance will be twenty-one feet wide, and extending the height of two stories. The fan-light over this entrance will be a combination of large and small wheels, and will be surmounted by a stone tablet bearing the words, “D Battery, L. N. Gr.,” in raised characters. Above this will be a large circle or wheel, the glass sections of which will represent various military scenes. Flanking this wheel will be two large panels, which are to be finished to represent battle scenes. The top of the iron wall is to support statuary figures, representing the three different branches of the military service, between which will be placed field guns. Eleven flagstaffs will float the national and other flags.

The front platform of the building for a distance of thirty-eight feet will be finished as two stories, furnishing the officers’ rooms, a ladies’ reception parlor, a company meeting room, the necessary wash-rooms, closets, etc.

The main or drill room will be 121×160 feet in the clear, covered by an iron truss roof, giving the entire area without post or pillar; will be well lighted and ventilated by the windows on the south and north sides, by a sky-light running the entire length of the room. The building will be heated by steam throughout.

An appeal to the business men will be made in order to and the contemplated quarters. The estimated cost is about $20,000, and it is hoped the building will be finished some time in August.

Chicago Tribune, January 22, 1882

Grand Bail of Battery D.
The formal dedication of the new armory of Battery “D,” I. N. G., Maj. E. P. Tobey com-manding, will take place Thursday evening next, Jan. 26, and the order of the evening will consist of a dedicatory address by Mayor Harrison; a promenade concert, by Lyon & Healy’s brass band; a banquet, served by Mr. H. M. Kinsley; and dancing to the music of Maj. Nevans’ string band. This affair will, undoubtedly, be the social event of the season, and seldom has a local aflair of the kind created such widespread interest, not only in Chicago bat throughout the Northwest. Over 5,000 invitations have been sent to representative citizens in this section ot the country, and the presence of many notables is expected. The Committee on Invitations desire any friend of the organization whom they may have overlooked to send in his name and they will return him an invitation.

A brief description of the new building on the Lake-Front may be of interest. It occupies an area of 200 by 15 feet of ground immediately north of the Exposition Building. It is a neat, compact structure, rising in front to a height of sixty-five feet. Upon entering the main hall-way, which is twenty feet wide, and leads directly into the spacious drill-room, one is impressed with the fact that here is an edifice that was fitted up decidedly with a view to comfort, in the first place. Simplicity, solidity, and good taste are the characteristics of the entire work. On the ground floor is, first, the company room for the use of the privates, a spacious apartment, 40×38 feet, and supplied with lockers for the accouterments of the members, each of whom is furnished with bis individual key. This room is situated on the south side of the main hall-way. On the other side is the non-commissioned others’ quarters, a room 16×38, and a joining this is the commissioned officers’ room, 32×38, each provided with all requisite conveniences for the transaction of business.

Passing to the second floor the visitor is ushered into the large supper-room, extending 138×100 feet, which is to be devoted to the use of the members as a club-room and generally for social purposes as occasion may require. Adjoining this on the south end is a commodious kitchen and store-room, each 20×19, and amply supplied with all necessary conveniences. From these rooms one passes to the visitors’ balcony, extending the whole width of the building, and commanding a complete view of one of the finest halls, whether drill-room, ball-room, or any other kind of room that has hitherto existed in Chicago. This is the grand feature of Battery D’s armory, and when once “society” is let loose in it, as it will be on the 26th, it is difficult to conceive how it should ever content itself with moving in the restricted limits of even the most select academies again. Here is an area of 162×122 feet, perfectly lighted—by day with eighteen windows, by night with plenty of chandeliers; and, what is as much to the purpose, perfectly ventilated and heated. A coil of steam-piping surrounds the walls on the inside, producing a pleasant and easily regulated temperature, which prevails throughout every portion of the building. At the east end, looking out upon the lake, is a fine oriel window, and on this eastern wall are fine pictorial designs—one representing a realistic artillery group, with war horses and mounted guns, and the other an ideal scene, which may perhaps be meant for the artillery of the future.

During the past week a corps of decorative artists have been busily engaged in transforming the interior of the building into a sort of fairy palace. The immense trusses which span the building are to be entirely hidden beneath a maze of festooning and flags, and banners will drape the wails and ceilings of the halls. To add to the picturesque charm of the opening night there will be arranged along the outer lines of the main floor a line of tents, representing a camp scene, and for the accommodation of the guests. The Governor of the State will have a tent apportioned to himself and his party, and other distinguished visitors will be similarly accommodated. In front of the tents will be an imitation of greensward. In the centre of the hall will be spread an immense waxed canvas for the dancers, 100×125 in extent, and which, according to the estimate of one of our distinguished dancing professors, will be big enough to accommodate 110 sets at one time, or about 1,000 people. This, of itself, will be a sight for the curious.

The arrangements for the approaching inaugural are in the hands of competent gentlemen, representatives of the best elements of Chicago society, and it is due to them and Maj. Tobey—the father of the enterprise, as well as the most earnest worker for its consummation-to say that they will be commendable as a model for all celebrations of the kind.

opera

Chicago Chronicle, December 12, 1897

MUST LEAVE BATTERY D.
So Says Montgomery Ward.
Montgomery Ward & Co., through their attorney, yesterday obtained from Judge Brentano a rule upon Mayor Harrison, Commissioner of Public Works McGann and Corporation Counsel Thornton to appear before him Thursday morning and show why they may not be adjudged in contempt of court.

The rule is based ung the fact that the officials named have ignored the order of the supreme court recently handed down directing that the city vacate Battery D building on the lake front.

“It was a very simple and ordinary legal proceeding,” said Attorney Merrick last night. “We want the city officials to come into court and state their reasons, if they have any, for wholly ignoring the order.”

Attorney Merrick said that the off-hand reply of Assistant Corporation Counsel Browning to the effect that the city would willingly comply with the order of the court when a place for the removal of the central detail police precinct and the fire engine company located therein was provided was of no force or value.

“There can be no getting around this order,” said the attorney.
“There will be no conciliatory agreement between Mr. Ward and the city. Mr. Ward is determined that the order vacating the old prize-fight structure shall be obeyed or some good and substantial reason shown why it is ignored.”

Inter Ocean, December 26, 1897

Battery D is doomed. In the long wrestle with A. Montgomery Ward, Ward has won. The historic building which stood for years as Chicago’s chief place of entertainment will disappear, along with other structures that incumber the lake front. The Supreme court has said it. The injunction against the boxing contests on Tuesday night means that its doors will remain closed until the work of demolition begins.

It is a building crowded with memories. Its walls have echoed to the songs of women, the laughter of children, the hoarse cheers of the partisans of champions, the music of the violin, the impassioned periods of public speakers, the talk of the statesman, and the balderdash of the demagogue. Men celebrated In all the walks of life possible to a great and growing city have achieved fresh fame within it, or gone down in defeat. The crowds that packed it have been still at the crisis of some mighty struggle, and its windows have been shaken by the deep, rich, moving roar of high acclaim.

The mayor has ordered the chief of police to find new quarters for the detail of officers now housed in Battery D. Then will come the toil of tearing down, the clouds of dust, the rolling of the carts, the razing. Grass will grow where it has stood and flowers will bloom. It will be only a memory. The house stands rugged and firm, like an old man with many good years of life in him yet. Gray it is in places and scarred by wars with the elements, but sound to the core, as a nut that is of this year’s fruitage. The people will regret it, even though they know that Its erasure is necessary to the general symmetry of the most beautiful water front in the world. They love Battery D. They have found joy in it, and forgetfulness of business cares. Civic sentiment attaches to a place of this kind. For nearly half a generation it has been Identified with the public life of Chicago. Was there a threatened wrong or invasion of the rights of the people? The Battery was the place for a mass meeting.

Was there a fair, an exposition, or some demonstration too big for a hall or a church! The Battery was the place to go.

Its uses have run the gamut of human wants and emergencies. Great Sunday school conventions have assembled within its walls: great prize fights have been “pulled off.” Charity balls and horse shows, expositions of dairy products and fat stock, and of dolls’ dresses have been held there. Until the Auditorium was opened to the public, the Battery was the great gathering place for the people of Chicago.

Its Beginning in a Riot.
It is a fact of which few people in Chicago will be aware that the beginning of the Battery goes back to the railroad riots of 1877. Major Alfred Russell of the Battery organization is full of reminiscences of the old structure, and the preservation of its history will be due to his careful keeping of records and newspaper clippings.

During the railroad riots of 1877, Mayor Monroe Heath called on Captain B. P. Tobey to organize some of the veterans of the war into an artillery battery, which would act with the police in suppressing the riots. Captain Tobey brought together some of his comrades of Battery A, with whom he had served, and they formed a police battery with two six-pound brass cannon, the property of the city. They were sworn in as special police and called “Tobey’s battery.” The officers were:
Captain, E. P. Tobey: lieutenants, F. S. Allen, Stephen Athey, and Alfred Russell. Mr. Russell still has the letter from the chief of police accepting the services of the battery, as follows:

Harrison street police station

M. C. Hickey, General Superintendent of Police.

During the riots the new company was called into active service, although it is not known that the artillerymen ever found it necessary to fire a shot. On one occasion the battery was called into position at the Hasted street viaduct, facing a solid mass of police and rioters. Captain Tobey began to sight his guns, and, apparently prepared to fire. Joseph Dickson, then assistant superintendent threw up his hands and yelled: “For God’s sake, captain, wait till I get my men out of the way.” There was a scramble among the police and rioters to get out of range of the guns, and in a few seconds the crowded thoroughfare was as clear as the street of some prehistoric city.

As soon as Assistant Superintendent Dickson met Captain Tobey he said: “It you had fred then, you would have killed half of my men.”

“You needn’t have been afraid,” replied the captain. “I was only drilling my men. There wasn’t an ounce of powder in the guns, and in that bag you saw. There was nothing but wind.”

Organization Kept Up..
The good work of the battery men during the riots and the praises they received from citizens encouraged them to keep up their organization. With no money at their command, except from their own pockets, they were compelled to appeal to the people. The papers assisted them, and, with the contributions of merchants and others, they were able to buy uniforms. In a short time a citizens’ association furnished them with four twelve-pound brass Napoleon guns and a set of second-hand harness. In the absence of any other place to keep their guns, they were allowed to occupy one corner of the old exposttion bullding, where they met ouce a week for drill. The expenses of light and beat and of going into camp once a year for practice made it necessary for the members of the battery to depend on contributions of public-spirited business men. These conditions lasted till 1877, when they were mustered into state service.

No material assistance was received from the state, however, till 1885, when they were supplied with seventy-five fatigue uniforms. In 1881, while the senior Harrison was mayor, the members of the battery applied to the city council for permission to erect an armory on the Lake Front at the foot of Monroe street. The request was granted without a dissenting vote. The battery members were then confronted with the question of raising money to build an armory, as they could not expect to raise t amount necessary by subscription. The way out of the difficulty was found by organizing a stock company, with authority to issue bonds. The cost of the building was first estimated at $20,000. Before it was finished more than twice the amount had been expended.

State Furnishes Guns.
The state furnished the battery with three gatling guns in 1888, and with another gatling gun in 1889, giving them an armament of four gatling guns, four twelve-pound guns, and the two six-pounders originally given by the city. It has also an equipment of 125 sabers, 175 dress uniforms, saddles, bridles, spurs, and the like. The assoclation supplies the battery members with horses for all parades in which they take part, with the exception of those ordered by the state. The battery has been in the line of nearly all of the great parades organized since Its be-ginning, Including the monster demonstrations at the dedication of the Grant, Lincoln, and Logan monuments.

During the campaign which elected McKinley the battery formed the famous “flying squadron” which accompanied the Governors and Generals on their speaking tour, firing salutes at every stop from a flat car.

Building in Demand.
In spite of the public services of the battery its building was more famous than the organization itself. In the popular mind “Battery D” meant the big, barnlike structure on the Lake Front, not the organization of artillery. One of the first great occasions for which it was thrown open was a Mardi Gras festival given by the Chicago Turngemeinde. The annual charity ball and the
Hebrew charity ball were first given on the Battery floor, both continuing to be annual events there till the Auditorium was opened to the public. A state convention of the Grand Lodge of Odd Fellows, a ball by the Firemen’s Benevolent association, and a fair by St. Mary’e church were among the earlier events. In 1883 a great gathering of Lutherans was held, at which 7,000 people were present. During the Presidential campaign of 1884, James G. Blaine spoke there during his tour of the country. The floor was jammed with people till breathing even was difficult and the crowd extended far
out into the street. One of the vice presidents of the meeting was ex-Senator Charles B. Farwell. Before it began, Major Russell found Mr. Farwell struggling to get into the ball, without success. He took the locked-out vice president around to the rear of the building and piloted him in through a hole used for shoveling in coal. Thomas W. Bayard, afterward United States Senator from Delaware, Secretary of State, and Ambassador to England, spoke in behalf of Cleveland about the same time. Another speaker at a great Republican meeting the same fall was “Uncle Dick” Oglesby.

A horse show was held there in 1885, started by T. W. Harvey and Potter Palmer. A doll show? & national convention of druggists, and concerts by the Thomas orchestra were other events of the same year. For several years the shows of the Mascoutah Kennel club were given in the Battery. The same year the sessions of the Grand Lodge of Illinois Masons were held there; also two great Parneli meetings, a convention of butter and egg dealers, and an exposition of the citrus products of California.

The following year the Masonic charity ball was given in the Battery. In the summer of 1888 it was the scene of the annual convention of the Christian Endeavor society, at a time when that organization was beginning to attract attention by its phenomenal growth.

Tale of Two Governors.
Ex-Governor Oglesby, “Private Joe” Fifer, then a candidate for Governor of Illinois, and Governor Rusk of Wisconsin were the speakers at a meeting held in the Battery in 1888. Governor Oglesby quietly inquired of Governor Rusk whether he remembered what the Governor of North Carolina said to the Governor of South Carolina, and then they retired with Major Russell to refresh their memories.

The Battery has witnessed the stormy scenes incidental to the county conventions of both Republicans and Democrats. The annual balls of the county Democracy have been held there for years. Labor and political meetings without number have been held within its walls. Probably the last great political meeting held in the Battery was in the last campaign, when W. J. Bryan was welcomed by a host of his admirers. The last event in the historic armory was the Irish fair, attended by thousands of enthusiastie compatriots of St. Patrick.

Chicago Tribune, March 9, 1898

DEMOLITION OF BATTERY D.
Famous Building Is Now Being Torn Down in the Interest of an Unobstructed Lake-Front.
Workmen are now engaged in tearing down Battery D, and one of the famous landmarks of Chicago will soon be entirely obliterated.

The removal is by order of the court in the interest of an unobstructed lake front. The battery building was erected in 1882 and has since been the scene of many events of importance in the municipal life of Chicago.

Before the erection of the Auditorium annual charity balls and national conventions were held within its walls. Famous orators who have addressed Battery D audiences are James G. Blaine, Thomas F. Bayard, ex-Governors Fifer and Oglesby, and W. J. Bryan.

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