To the south on Arapahoe Street is a distinctive building made of river rock. The Armory was completed in 1913 to house Company A Engineers of the Colorado National Guard, comprised of Colorado School of Mines students. Designer James H. Gow, who also designed the Castle Rock Pavilion (an entertainment center on the summit of South Table Mountain), envisioned a home for the company reminiscent of a medieval castle. Gow is said to have chosen and collected 3,330 wagonloads of stone from nearby Clear Creek and Golden Gate Canyon to complete the Armory project.
On the first level, facing 13th Street, the Armory housed the Golden post office and retail space. Upper floors functioned as dormitories, drill space, and training space for Company A. The 65-foot tower, with its grand entrance inscribed "A 1913" was for "observation," providing a wide view of Golden as it was then.
Gow was clearly enchanted with medieval design, as he originally proposed battlements on corners of the Castle Rock Pavilion as well as cannons surrounding the dance hall.
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