The building was constructed as an armory and arsenal for the United States National Guard in β and designed with a castle -like appearance in a Moorish Revival style. The Armory was built on part of the site of Woodward's Gardens β , a zoo, aquarium, art museum, and amusement park which covered two city blocks, bounded by Mission, Valencia, 13th, and 15th Streets.
The Armory served as a stronghold and rallying point for the National Guard in their suppression of the San Francisco General Strike an event known as "Bloody Thursday". From the s through the s, the Mission Armory served as San Francisco's primary sports venue, eventually earning the nickname "the Madison Square Garden of the West.
Other notable fights that took place in the Armory included matches between Mike Teague and Jack Thompson both were welterweight champions ; and Corbett and Pete Myers in After , the building was largely unused for the next 30 years, though in the building was registered as a Class 2 historical landmark in the National Register of Historic Places.
Several spaceship-interior scenes in the Star Wars movie The Empire Strikes Back were filmed there, [ 14 ] and the San Francisco Opera used the large inner court of The Armory for set construction and rehearsals until the mids. By this time, The Armory was in a heavy state of disrepair. Many of these proposals were marked by acrimonious debates between various community interests.
Concerns over gentrification , social and environmental impact or the unsuitability of the structure for various uses resulted in none of the various plans for the structure reaching fruition. The sale was not announced until January as a result of a non-disclosure agreement with the previous owner. Many people welcomed this use of The Armory as a way of revitalizing the structure and bringing back business to the area without altering the appearance of the historic building, as well as being in keeping with San Francisco's tradition of accommodating sexual minorities.
