Fort Homer W. Hesterly is a historic building at 522 North Howard Avenue in the West Tampa section of Tampa , Florida . The building and adjacent support structures were originally constructed as a U.S. military facility to house units of both the Florida Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve . The armory was built in the 1930s under Franklin Delano Roosevelt 's New Deal and dedicated the day after the Pearl Harbor attack . The National Guard used the armory until 2005.
15-499: After sixty years of service, and with the facility becoming obsolete for military purposes, Florida National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve officials announced plans to replace the armory on December 1, 2001. A new 216,424-square-foot (20,106.4 m) joint reserve facility to be built at Gateway Center in Pinellas Park was planned as a replacement of three existing outdated and overcrowded facilities, including Fort Hesterly,
30-470: A state of emergency by the governor of the state in which they serve. Unlike Army Reserve and Air Force Reserve members, National Guard members cannot be mobilized individually (except through voluntary transfers and Temporary Duty Assignments TDA ), but only as part of their respective units . However, since 11 September 2001 there have been a significant number of individual activations under Title 10 USC to support military operations (2001–Present);
45-670: A photo from his 1955 performance at the armory. Other performers at the armory included Tom Jones , The Animals , James Brown , Buddy Holly , Andy Griffith , Allman Brothers , Pink Floyd , the Doors and The Ramones . The armory was used by President John F. Kennedy for an address to the Florida Chamber of Commerce in 1963, four days before his assassination in Dallas. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. also spoke at
60-556: A similar utilization model for Air National Guard units (and Air National Guardsmen). More specifically, previous Department of Defense policy was that no National Guardsman would be involuntarily activated for a total of more than 24 months (cumulative) in one six-year period. This policy has changed 1 August 2007, with the new policy stating that National Guard soldiers and airmen will be given 24 months between deployments of no more than 24 months; individual states have differing policies but remain subordinate to DoD policy). As of 2020,
75-833: Is the National Guard force of the state of Florida . It comprises the Florida Army National Guard and the Florida Air National Guard . The United States Constitution charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. Ordinarily under the control of the state government (in which the governor is the commander-in-chief ) pursuant to Title 32 of the United States Code , National Guard troops may also be called into active federal service with
90-707: The Florida State Guard served as the official state defense force of Florida, and was organized as a stateside replacement for the Florida National Guard and executed the stateside duties of the National Guard for the duration of the war. National coordination of various state National Guard units are maintained through the National Guard Bureau . National Guard units can be mobilized at any time by presidential order to supplement regular armed forces, and upon declaration of
105-714: The J.F. Campbell National Guard Armory in Clearwater , and the Lovejoy U.S. Army Reserve Center in Tampa. Construction of the new $ 53.5 million project began in 2002, with the House Appropriations Committee originally allocating $ 45 million for the project. The new facility, eventually named the C.W. "Bill" Young Armed Forces Reserve Center , opened in February 2005. On October 23, 2013,
120-649: The United States Army or the United States Air Force (in which the president serves as commander-in-chief) and deployed worldwide with their active duty Army and Air Force counterparts. The Florida National Guard, like those of other states, provides trained and equipped units for prompt mobilization in case of war or national emergency. Guardsmen may take part in functions ranging from limited actions in non-emergency situations to full-scale law enforcement ( martial law ) in cases when
135-549: The 1990–91 Gulf War , and continued on to present day, with both the Federal Reserve Components and the National Guard increasingly utilized as an "operational" force for worldwide deployment. The current forces formation plans of the US Army call for the typical Army National Guard unit (or Army National Guardsman) to serve one year of active duty for every three years of service. The US Air Force applies
150-617: The 75,000 square foot armory into a luxury development fell through in 2010. In 2016, it underwent a $ 30 million renovation and was converted into the Bryan Glazer Family Jewish Community Center in honor of Bryan Glazer (son of Malcolm Glazer ) who contributed $ 4 million to the project. It is now home to the Tampa Jewish Community Center & Federation . Florida National Guard The Florida National Guard
165-569: The Fort. An art deco style building, it took ten years to find an occupant for the Hesterly Armory, once a premiere entertainment venue in addition to its military role. Plans for the former armory included a film studio and creative industries incubator, an ice rink and sports complex, and mixed-use commercial/residential development. In 2007, a $ 98 million hotel and spa project won the selection process, but later dropped. A plan to redevelop
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#1732779929057180-549: The armory was added to the National Register of Historic Places . During the time that the armory was used by the National Guard and the Army Reserve, it was also used as an entertainment and sports venue. In 1955 Elvis Presley performed at the armory as part of the "Country Music's Mr. Rhythm" show, the final act in country star Hank Snow 's All-Star Jamboree tour. The cover of Presley's debut album features
195-537: The armory. The South Florida Bulls men's basketball team played home games at the armory sporadically throughout the 1970s. The armory held Championship Wrestling from Florida matches during the era of Dusty Rhodes , Jack Brisco and announcer Gordon Solie . Billy Fives and Pepe Prado represented NWA Florida at the armory in a tag team match against Mike Sullivan and Scoot Andrews during an interpromotional event between IPW Hardcore vs. NWA Florida. In addition, many graduations and weddings have been held at
210-431: The governor determines that ordinary law enforcement officials can no longer maintain civil control. The state mission assigned to the National Guard is "to provide trained and disciplined forces for domestic emergencies or as otherwise provided by state law ." The Florida National Guard serves as the state's "defense force". Florida currently has a State Defense Force (SDF), reactivated as of 2022. During World War II ,
225-472: The legality of this policy has been a major issue within the National Guard. For much of the final decades of the twentieth century, National Guard personnel typically served " One weekend a month, two weeks a year ", with a portion working for the Guard in a full-time capacity as either Active Guard and Reserve (AGR), Army Reserve Technicians or Air Reserve Technicians (ART). This changed dramatically during
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