Torpedo Factory Art Center

Here follows an excerpt from the Atlas Obscura website:

Torpedo Factory Art Center
Alexandria, Virginia
A former major munitions plant that has been converted into a sprawling art space.

Located in the historic Old Town of Alexandria, Virginia, the Torpedo Factory Art Center has gone from World War munitions producer to working-artists’ studio complex in less than a century.

Construction on the munitions factory began the day after Armistice Day marked the end of World War I, November 12, 1918. When the first torpedoes came off the production line in 1920, this Virginia weapons plant was the main provider of American torpedoes until the end of the war when production slowed down. Before the complex could go under, World War II began in earnest and the plant was back in business, producing Mark III and Mark IV torpedoes for aircraft and submarines. So many armaments were being produced that nine other buildings were eventually added to the complex to meet the demand. After World War II hostilities died down, the plant production followed suit. As need for constant weapon production stopped, most of the space was given over to government storage, housing everything from sealed German war films to the Smithsonian’s surplus dinosaur bones. By the late 1960s, the Department of the Navy knew it would no longer make torpedoes in Alexandria. It sold the complex to the City of Alexandria in 1969. Many suggestions as to the site’s potential use were entertained. Most of the complex was demolished over time, but the main building, which now houses the Torpedo Factory Art Center, was deemed too difficult to demolish because the walls, which were designed to contain a torpedo explosion, could not be torn down without damaging the historic neighborhood.

In 1974, Marian Van Landingham, as president of The Art League, proposed to renovate derelict plant into artist studios for the Alexandria Bicentennial. They were pioneers in creative placemaking. What was supposed to be a three-year experiment turned into a cultural landmark for the region.

Like many converted art spaces, the Torpedo Factory Art Center had humble beginnings with artists working in near freezing or melting conditions just to keep their donated studio space alive. Today, it’s home to the nation’s largest number of publicly accessible working artists’ studios under one roof. There are more than 160 juried artists in 82 studios, seven galleries and two workshops. Visitors are encouraged to watch and interact with artists work in painting, photography, sculpture, printmaking, glass, ceramics, jewelry, fiber, among other media. Much of the work is also available for purchase, too. Target Gallery, which is the Torpedo Factory’s own exhibition space, features a rotating schedule of exhibitions featuring work by national and international artists. The Post-MFA Residency Studio provides free space to four recent graduates to allow them an opportunity to build a network and define their practice outside of an academic context. Underrepresented voices from the region are featured in the New Project Studio. This factory once meant for destruction is now solely devoted to creation.

Know Before You Go
Artists make their own hours, so if you're looking to see someone specifically, it's best to call ahead to confirm their availability. Mondays are the quietest days, both for visitors and artists, with more activity later in the week. Take Metrorail to King Street or VRE/Amtrak to Alexandria. From there, take the free King Street Trolley to the end of the line. There is limited free street parking and paid garage parking available nearby. Also, the Potomac River Taxi is located directly outside of the riverfront entrance. Bike rentals are available nearby, too.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Clio Foundation website about the Torpedo Factory as written by Sara Marian:

Introduction:
The Torpedo Factory Art Center, a public studio space with associated galleries, workshops, art classes, and the Alexandria Archaeology Museum, is on the site of the U.S. Naval Torpedo Station, a formerly top-secret munitions factory constructed in 1918. The NTS produced almost 1,000 submarine torpedoes (Mark XIV) during World War II.

Backstory and Context:
Just one day after the official end of World War I, on November 12, 1918, the United States Navy began construction on the U.S. Naval Torpedo Station (NTS) on the site of an old wharf on North Union Street. The NTS was classified as top secret and no photos of the facility were released until the end of World War II. The first run of munitions were 908 Mark III aircraft torpedoes manufactured between 1919 and 1923. During World War II, the factory expanded into a complex of 11 buildings, where Mark III's and bright green Mark XIV submarine torpedoes were constructed. The first of the Mark XIV torpedoes produced at the NTS was finished on April 1, 1941 and shipped out with the U.S.S. Gudgeon. Though the U.S. had yet to enter the war, the military was preparing for the possibility. In four years, the NTS produced 9,918 torpedoes (tested at Piney Point, Maryland), as well as airplane-mounted rocket motors. 1,451 enemy ships were sunk or damaged with NTS-constructed munitions.

An employee newsletter, The Torp, was published monthly, running news about the war (especially workers who had gone overseas), bond drives, employee poetry, and worker events such as talent shows, bowling competitions, and basketball games. A set of 150 wooden duplexes, called Chinquapin Village, was constructed three miles from the plant to house workers, who were bussed to and from the factory each day.

After the end of the war in 1945, the plant became a storage facility for dinosaur bones, Smithsonian art, Congressional documents, and German war films and records. The City of Alexandria purchased the complex in 1969, and Art League President Marian Van Landingham, backed by the Alexandria Bicentennial Commission, proposed to utilize the buildings for studio space for artists. The Torpedo Factory Artists’ Association was formed, and Van Landingham became the first Art Director.

Renovations began in May of 1974. Volunteers and city workers removed 40 truckloads of debris, built new walls, re-worked the electricity and plumbing, and painted the exterior. Studio walls were built, electricity and plumbing expanded; all by July of the same year. The Torpedo Factory Art Center opened its doors to the public on September 15, 1974. After extensive remodeling, a grand re-opening was held in 1983.

Now, the art center offers access to 82 studios and two workshops (fiberworks and printmakers), seven galleries, art classes, a cafe, and the Alexandria Archaeology Museum, which offers rotating exhibits on local archaeology, public archaeology "Dig Days" and "Adventure Lessons" with hands-on activities, and the permanent exhibit, "A Community Digs Its Past: The Lee Street Site" which presents a one-block "microcosm" of the city [1], from the 18th and 19th centuries, including wharves, homes, shops, industries, and military facilities.


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Here follows an excerpt from the book, “Snake Hill to Spring Bank” which was an oral history project conducted by students at Groveton High School in the mid-1970s. The interviews were transcribed under the direction of their teachers and local historian Edith Moore Sprouse.

From the interview with Kent Crowther:
"I came here December 7, 1940, and have lived here since that time. My dad came here to open up the Torpedo plant. He was one of the four men picked to open the Torpedo plant to make torpedoes for World War II."