Photo By Joseph Siemandel | Exterior of the National Guard armory in Snohomish, Wash, Nov. 12, 2025. Originally...... read more read more
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Seventy years after first opening its doors, the Snohomish Armory — home to the 176th Engineer Company — is undergoing a $6 million modernization to ensure the facility continues to serve the community just east of Everett, Washington.
Built in 1953 and opened in 1955, the armory has served the Snohomish community for decades. Like many facilities constructed following World War II, however, it was not designed to accommodate larger vehicles, advanced technology, or current mission requirements.
“There are hundreds of these armories across the country with the same square footage, similar footprint and look,” said Adam Iwaszuk, director of the Construction, Facilities and Maintenance Office. “These became the go-to for Guard units following World War II.”
While the Snohomish Armory has aged well, the community around it has grown dramatically. When the 14,000-square-foot facility first opened, only about 3,000 people lived in Snohomish. Today, the city has more than tripled in size and continues to grow.
“This used to be nothing except the armory out here when it was first built, but now it is almost right in the heart of the city with stores, restaurants, and businesses,” Iwaszuk said. “We just want to bring it up to date and make sure that we are fitting in with the community.”
The Snohomish Armory is home to the 176th Engineer Company — a stand-alone vertical engineering and construction unit. They have consistently supported the community in times of need. In 2014, the company deployed to nearby Oso in response to the State Route 530 landslide. The unit has also supported numerous wildfire seasons, flood operations, and the state’s COVID-19 pandemic response.
In 2022, the Washington Army National Guard received approval to add roughly 6,000 square feet of office, classroom, and secure storage space to the existing armory.
“By adding on to the existing armory, we can get the project approved and construction started much faster,” said Iwaszuk.
Funded primarily by the federal government with state matching dollars, the project is part of a statewide effort to upgrade aging Guard facilities and bolster readiness for both federal deployments and local emergency response. The project includes construction of a 6,000-square-foot addition, significant alteration of 2,450 square feet of existing office space, and minor upgrades to an additional 8,000 square feet of the facility.
Renovation efforts will include expanded office space, a conference room, and a larger area for local recruiters. Smaller classrooms will be converted into increased storage off the drill floor, and the armory will receive a fully functional kitchen to support feeding troops on drill weekends. The new addition will feature two large, dividable classrooms, a distance-learning lab, a private lactation room, an expanded vault and storage room, an upgraded electrical room, a unisex bathroom with private floor-to-ceiling stalls, and an 800-square-foot workout room.
“This new addition will bring a whole new life to the armory so we can continue to support the city of Snohomish and the area north of Seattle more effectively and for years to come,” Iwaszuk said. “Through this upgrade, we’re taking a 70-year-old facility and modernizing it for the next 70 years.”
If the past is any indication, the upgrades to the Snohomish Armory will only strengthen the impact of the unit that calls it home. Over the years, in addition to responding to local disasters, the 176th Engineer Company has participated in several community restoration and improvement projects around the state and beyond, including renovations at the Northport visitor center, a playground in Rogue River, Oregon, a church at North Fort Lewis, an upgrade project at Bowers Field in Ellensburg, and the construction of a community park in Orting. The unit has deployed to Iraq multiple times since Sept. 11, 2001, and has played a key role in the Washington State Partnership Program, building schools in the Kingdom of Thailand.
| Date Taken: | 11.21.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 11.21.2025 10:13 |
| Story ID: | 552035 |
| Location: | CAMP MURRAY, WASHINGTON, US |
| Hometown: | SNOHOMISH, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 33 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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