On Wednesday, December 4, Greenbelt City Council held a worksession with a representative of the AMAR Group LLC firm to discuss the Preliminary Armory Feasibility Assessment.
Discussion of the Armory’s condition began with an overview of the location’s history. While it was owned by the state since its construction in 1954 for use by the Maryland National Guard, in recent decades the site has been in a fallow state. For the last few years, Greenbelt has had an interest in acquiring the unused property. In 2020, architecture firms evaluated the location for a variety of developments, but it wasn’t until September 2024 that the city was finally able to purchase the Armory’s buildings and site.
Many ideas of how the city could use the Armory have been put forth. When the city attempted to get bond funding for assessing the site, it noted that the Armory is “a possible location for the Greenbelt Volunteer Fire Department and/or a new municipal building.” In a worksession evaluating potential projects for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, the idea that a part of the Armory could be used as a temporary animal shelter was also floated. However, in order to know what uses are actually viable and what work is needed to get the site in a ready state, the city contracted AMAR Group to survey the Armory’s condition and provide recommendations for renovation.
Taylora Imes-Thomas, representing the AMAR Group, spoke to the work their team has done to evaluate the conditions of the buildings at the location. Imes-Thomas has some prior experience with the Armory as she was one of the people who reviewed the site in 2020. The firm’s findings made it clear that in the 70 years since its erection, time has taken its toll.
The building exterior shows clear signs of deterioration and weathering with dire implications for the bones of the building. The AMAR Group’s photographs showcased the erosion of the mortar in its brick walls, exposed rebar where there was concrete, and deep cracks crawling up the sides of the garages and main building. Although the limestone facade at the building’s front looks stable, a closer inspection found that the stonework was installed improperly; pins that connect the facade to the building are now bent and warped. The firm also found places where misguided attempts to repair the building exacerbated issues; for example, brick walls designed with holes to drain rainfall were plugged with simple caulking, thus allowing outside moisture to find its way into the buildings and accumulate.
The cracks found on the outside walls continued inside. Imes-Thomas recalled when she entered the Armory’s gym, she immediately noticed a large crack across the concrete ceiling. Other rooms had missing ceiling tiles and caved beams. Most of the AMAR Group’s photos of the interior displayed the results of taking in years of rainfall. The original hardwood flooring has bowed out of shape or gone soft from years of soaking. Likewise, painted walls have bubbled due to rain collecting between the paint and drywall before bursting. Even the tiling has become discolored where water collected underneath and mold took hold.
Compounding the issue of water retention are the preliminary test results for hazardous materials. The firm found over 30 positive cases of lead in the paint. Some of the different building materials also tested positive for asbestos. According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Code of Federal Regulations, the threshold for a material to be considered asbestos positive is a one percent presence in a sample; however, tests of fiberglass wraps found asbestos levels as high as 10 percent, and over 50 percent in tests of pipe fittings. The extent to which these and other carcinogenic materials may have spread out from the buildings through the flow of rainwater is still unknown.
The AMAR Group will be assessing the rest of what the city acquired in the purchase of the Armory. Given the potential runoff of hazards from the building materials, munitions storage, shooting range and motor pool, the firm is being careful in its analysis of the grounds. After both the building and site observations are complete, the AMAR Group will then report their recommendations for the buildings on January 23 and the site on February 6.
Although Imes-Thomas was cautious about giving any recommendations for actions to take before those reports are completed, City Manager Josué Salmerón explained that city staff have already taken preventative measures to keep some of the identified problems from getting worse: the Armory’s roof has been covered to prevent further rainwater from getting inside, and cameras have been installed to deter further break-ins. Given the facility’s hazards, preventing break-ins is in the interest of the well-being of urban explorers as much as the city property.
