Pat Reither, historian of the Brighton Historic Preservation Commission and Brighton city historian, said when Masons made the original dedication of the Armory building in 1921, it was as if they had a vision of the future.

“When they put in the original cornerstone, they also put in a blank cornerstone,” she said. “It was like they anticipated we were going to use this building for another purpose one day.”

On Oct. 29, at 11 a.m., Masons from the local chapter and from the Denver chapter will complete the second cornerstone laid in 1921 with a new dedication. Brighton’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2841 and the Ladies Auxiliary will present a U.S. flag and Colorado flag which will fly over the new cultural center.

And Reither can’t believe the day is almost here.

“It’s just thrilling beyond belief,” she said. “You love this building because you love all the stories. Lots of people have nice memories from the Armory.”

The Brighton state Armory was unique among the 12 armories designed by master architect John James Huddart, Reither said. The Brighton Hydrastone Co. produced 33,000 cement blocks, one at a time, to build the Armory. Hydrastone was known for its extreme strength and resistance to fire. The city of Brighton donated the land so the building could be enhanced with features to accommodate the needs of the local community.

The Armory housed Company K until 1928 when the company was transferred to Fort Morgan. And the men were busy right from the start. “They weren’t just standing around,” Reither said.

When the company was sent to help following the Pueblo flood in 1921 that killed nearly 1,500, they were so new they didn’t yet have uniforms. A few had uniforms from WWI, Reither said, but the rest just wore old clothes and rags to their assignment because they knew they would be getting new uniforms soon.

“There are still a lot of decedents of these soldiers in Brighton,” Reither said, looking over a photo the company.

One of the most famous tales from the Armory building is that of the swimming pool. There was a rumor that the building had originally had a swimming pool in the basement so they could offer lessons in the pool and for the soldiers to get exercise. “To my knowledge, those lessons never happened,” Reither said.

When construction began on the Armory late last year, workers found the old pool, which had been filled in with gravel after the American Legion took over in the 1940s.

“We were delighted when we found out it was actually there,” she said.

Over the years, the Armory has served thousands of members of the Brighton community in a number of other ways. A family lived in the building for a short time, and later, bingo games, as well as numerous dances and wedding receptions were held there. Lutheran Church school boys played basketball in the gym in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was storage for United Lumber since 1973.

On Nov. 13, 2008, the Brighton Historic Preservation Commission designated the Brighton State Armory as a Brighton historic landmark. Out of the 12 armories that were built in the state, three are on the National Register of Historic Places. The Brighton Armory is not currently on the list, but members of the Historic Preservation Commission will take up the cause again once the building reopens.

“We couldn’t go through the process while we were under construction,” Reither said. “But we have a fairly good chance.”

The grand opening of the armory is set for later this month with a number of events from Oct. 23 to Oct. 30. The celebration will kick off with a ribbon cutting ceremony Oct. 23 at 11 a.m., followed by building, art and historical tours of the armory Oct. 26 to 29, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“We’re very excited about this building,” Reither said. “We’ve been trying to save this building for a long time.”