Cranston Street Armory
Reuse Proposals

In response to the Request for Proposals issued by the Department of Administration of the State of Rhode Island, two teams presented proposals at two public meetings. Click on the link and enter the passcode to view one or both of the presentations.

Give your input here. See responses so far here.

The Cranston Street Armory Reuse Plan is an ongoing process led by the State of Rhode Island and a Steering Committee made up of community members and other stakeholders. The goal of the plan is to develop a roadmap for the State to work with private partners to return the historic armory to active use.

Thanks to all who attended the public meetings in October 2020!

For those who were unable to attend:
View a recording of the October 13 meeting here, passcode EQp9.A#W View a recording of the October 15 meeting here, passcode s4wkJf.I

View the presentations from 2019 here: October 30, November 14th.

Give your input here. See responses so far here.

Read our interim report on the state of the armory here [PDF].

Did you know?

Dexter Park was used as a military training ground even before the Cranston Street Armory was built. In the Civil War, the first African-American heavy artillery unit, the 14th Regiment Rhode Island, was trained at the Dexter Training Grounds. In fact, Rhode Island led the charge to allow black men to fight for the Union in the Civil War. This was the continuation of a legacy of African-American military service in Rhode Island, which began with the nation’s first mixed-race military regiment in the Revolutionary War, the 1st Rhode Island Regiment. This regiment participated in the Battle of Yorktown, Virginia, which led to British surrender and the end of the war.

Read more about the 14th Regiment Rhode Island here and here.

Read more about the 1st Rhode Island Regiment here.

Read about the history of the Armory here [pdf].