Part palace, part industrial shed, Park Avenue Armory fills a critical void in the cultural ecology of New York, supporting unconventional works in the performing and visual arts that cannot be fully realized in a traditional proscenium theater, concert hall, or white wall gallery. With its soaring column-free 55,000 square foot Wade Thompson Drill Hall and its array of exuberant period rooms, the Armory enables artists to create, students to explore, and wide audiences to experience epic, adventurous, relevant work that cannot be done elsewhere in New York. Such was its impact in its first years that The New York Times declared, "Park Avenue Armory...has arrived as the most important new cultural institution in New York City." More recently, The New York Times has noted that: "few cultural institutions have been as adept at pushing the cultural FOMO button, triggering that fear of missing out; that New Yorkers hate..." Alongside unconventional programming, a creativity-based Arts Education program for underserved public school students has found a special niche at the Armory, offering at no cost to schools, student performances for all Armory productions; curriculum enrichment to partner schools; and a paid and highly mentored Youth Corps internship program that includes job training and engagement with Armory artists.
In addition to the large-scale unconventional productions, the Armory also present smaller scale performances and talk, along, and symposia. These include the Interrogations of Form Series and its "Culture in a Changing America" annual symposium, the Recital Series in the Board of Officers Room, the Artists Studio series inspired by the Veterans Room, and the Armorys Artists-in-Residence and commissioning programs.
Concurrent with its artistic program, the Armory has undertaken an ongoing $215-million revitalization of its historic building, designed by architects Herzog & de Meuron.
