Veterans Day: How Pikesville Armory preserves military history, serves community

PIKESVILLE, Md. — On Reisterstown Road, the signs pointing its way are modern. But the walls of the Pikesville National Guard Armory hold over a century of history and service.

Since 1903, service members from World War I to the War on Terror have passed through the armory's doors.

"The unit was in World War II, actually landed on the first waves of D-Day on Omaha Beach, first artillery to fire," noted David Ginsberg, executive director of the Pikesville Armory Foundation.

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In February 1941, months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, two units at the armory were activated to prepare.

Today, eight veterans groups continue to meet at the armory's recently renovated NCO Club.

Ginsberg, who served in the unit during the 1980s and 1990s and has dedicated himself to veterans causes, says that continued camaraderie is essential.

Ginsberg has served as commander of one of the posts for 16 years and is a past national commander of the 29th Division Association. He is now overseeing an overhaul of the grounds, having come to the project representing veterans groups.

"I met a lot of community leaders and realized how important the historical preservation, the veterans and the history was, and we decided we were going to save all of the historical buildings," Ginsberg said. "We were going to tell the story because veterans are just a fabric of the community and everything that we're trying to do here."

In three months, the armory will break ground on new outdoor recreation space, to include playing fields, walking paths, a playground and 300 new trees.

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Ginsberg believes preserving the space for veterans and the broader community go hand in hand.

"There are people looking for green space. People are looking for a safe space to exercise, have inter-generational contact with other people, diverse communities, but the veterans have always been a part of that," Ginsberg said. "The board and the foundation have never hesitated in supporting those eight veteran groups and the commitment to providing the meeting spots for them and preserving all 5 buildings on the National Historic Register."

In 2029, a memorial walk will tell the history of all the units who served there, conserving the past while looking to Pikesville's future.

READ MORE: Pikesville’s historic armory, re-envisioned

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