The Hampton National Guard Armory, built in 1936 with federal funds from the Works Progress Administration (WPA), is one of only two extant armories in Hampton Roads that dates from before World War II, and the only one that remains largely unaltered. The Moderne-style building is also among a small group of surviving WPA-funded armories still standing in Virginia. The armory was home for Battery D, 111th Field Artillery, whose commander, Captain H. Clark Thompson, championed its construction. Constructed of brick, the armory features 13-inch-thick load-bearing walls. The Hampton National Guard Armory served as a social gathering place and musical venue in addition to its military function. During an era of racial segregation, the building was used by both the African American and white communities for separate events.