Los Angeles Navy, Marine Armory in Renovation

A $4.5-million renovation project is under way at the U. S. Navy & Marine Corps Reserve Armory on Stadium Way in Los Angeles, with completion expected in mid-May.

Clements & Clements of Los Angeles, until recently known as Robert Clements & Associates, designed the restoration. The original building, a state historical monument, was designed by Stiles O. Clements, founder of the 116-year-old firm. Stile Michael Clements, the founder’s grandson, is a vice president of the company.

The Navy & Marine Corps Reserve Armory was designed in 1938, and built during the Works Progress Administration, which lasted from 1935 to 1939, when it became the Work Projects Administration before being absorbed by the Federal Works Agency. The Federal Works Agency was terminated in 1942.

The Art Deco building required extensive reconstruction after receiving fire and rain damage. Remodeling was judged to be less expensive and more viable than rebuilding the entire facility. That would have cost an estimated $17 million.