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Heslar Naval Armory (formerly Indianapolis Naval Reserve Armory) was constructed in 1936 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, on the shore of White River as a Works Progress Administration construction project. It was designed by architect Ben H. Bacon and reflects an Art Moderne style. Heslar Naval Armory is currently the home of Naval Operations Support Center Indianapolis, Marine Corps Reserve Center Indianapolis, and Naval Recruiting Station Indianapolis, as well as the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps Cruiser Indianapolis (CA 35) Division and the Central Indiana Young Marines of the Marine Corps League. In October 2008 the Indiana Wing Civil Air Patrol, state branch of the US Air Force Auxiliary, moved its headquarters functions and staff to the Armory. The building and property are legally owned by the State of Indiana and managed by the Indiana State Armory Board (an entity of the Indiana National Guard), but is leased to the federal government for use by the United States Navy Reserve and the United States Marine Corps Reserve. ==History== Construction began on the US$550,000 project in February 1936, and the building was officially dedicated as the Indianapolis Naval Reserve Armory at a ceremony on October 29, 1938. John K. Jennings, Indiana State WPA administrator, presented the building to Elmer F. Streub, adjutant-general, who then presented it to Captain O.F. Heslar, commandant of the Indiana State Naval Reserve. Louis J. Bornstein, representing the citizen's dedication committee, served as toastmaster. Guests included Lieutenant-Governor Henry F. Schricker; Indianapolis Mayor Walter C. Boetcher; Admiral Hayne Ellis, commander of the Ninth Naval District; and representatives of the Navy Department and the Navy Reserves of several states. The structure was built of reinforced architectural concrete with steel roof trusses. Upon completion, the four-story building included a navigation bridge, signal hoist, magazine, battle telephones, boiler room, radio communication, watertight bulkheads, ship's ladders, galley, swimming pool, gymnasium, rifle range, classrooms, and mess and quarters for Officers and Enlisted staff. The mess hall and gymnasium were decorated with 12'x15' murals depicting famous Naval battles and events. Inscribed around the rotunda and on the walls of the exterior are the surnames of several significant figures in Naval History including George H. Preble, George Dewey, Oliver Hazard Perry, John Paul Jones, and David Glasgow Farragut. On November 20, 1939, Captain O. F. Heslar (1891–1970) took command of the armory and the USS ''Sacramento'', the gunboat aboard which the Naval Reserve force trained on Lake Michigan each summer. Captain Heslar remained in this capacity through November 1940, when he was ordered to take his ship and her crew to Boston, Massachusetts, for refitting. It was here that the vessel was transferred to the active U.S. Navy and was docked at Pearl Harbor when that base was attacked by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941. She survived the attack while shooting down at least two enemy fighters, and participated in rescue and salvage operations immediately afterward. During World War II, the inland location was ideal when generals and admirals, seeking to avoid the constant surveillance on the coasts, gathered regularly at the Heslar Naval Armory in Indianapolis to plan their Atlantic and Pacific campaigns, including elements of the pivotal Battle of Normandy that began June 6, 1944. Throughout World War II, the Indianapolis Naval Reserve Armory remained a vital facility where radioman and yeoman recruits trained for sea duty. Following that conflict it returned to a peacetime reserve function. In 1946, the United States Marine Corps reactivated Headquarters Co. 16th Infantry Battalion for training and ordered them to Heslar. This unit was called for duty in Korea in 1950. On December 12, 1964, the Indianapolis Naval Armory was renamed the Heslar Naval Armory in honor of its first and longest-serving commanding officer in a dinner ceremony emceed by Harry T. Ice. Mrs. Heslar was ill and unable to attend, but a tape recording was played for her later in their home in New Augusta. In attendance were Heslar's son, Lieutenant Fred G. Heslar USNR, and his wife, as well as former Indiana Governor Ralph Gates; Rear Admiral Howard A. Yeager, Commandant of the Ninth Naval District, Great Lakes Illinois; Colonel George P. Hill Jr, Commanding Officer of Fort Harrison; Commander Joseph W. Tilford, commanding officer of the Indianapolis Naval Reserve; Brigadier General John D. Friday of the Indiana National Guard; Brigadier General G. Wray DePrez Indiana National Guard (ret.), president of the Indiana State Armory Board; Brigadier General Kenneth E. Keene, assistant chief, Indiana Air National Guard; Captain James C. Wootton, commanding officer of Naval Avionics Facility; Captain Firman F. Knachel; and Captain Robert O. Jackson, commander of Indiana Naval Forces. Unveiled at the ceremony was a plaque that is now mounted on the exterior of the rotunda and reads: Heslar Naval Armory in honor of Captain Ola Fred Heslar, USNR (Ret.) Commanding Officer of the Naval Reserve State of Indiana 1921-1940 A dedicated Naval officer and true hoosier, Captain Heslar has given unselfishly of his time, knowledge, and efforts to further the Naval Reserve and the Indiana Naval Forces. Held in the highest esteem by his fellow officers and fellow hoosiers, it is altogether fitting that this armory be dedicated and so named. Matthew E. Welsh Governor, State of Indiana 1964 In 1978, after the nearby Marine Reserve facility in Riverside Municipal Park was damaged, a decision was made to renovate the Armory and accommodate local Marine Reserve Components. Renovation began in 1977 with the removal of nearly all non-support internal structure and replacing them with a more modern floorplan. Also, a large parking lot was created on the former site of the Riverside Amusement Park. On November 1, 1978, the facility was re-designated as a Navy and Marine Corps Reserve Center. Heslar Naval Armory has been listed as a contributing property to the Indianapolis Park and Boulevard System, along with several other sites and buildings. The buildings together form a Historic district that has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2003. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Heslar Naval Armory」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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