Historical Ada Armory

Ada, Ohio has a long military history, but prior to 1905 the village did not have an armory of its own to complete training and store equipment. On November 2nd, 1905, Congressman R. D. Cole, who was the Major of the Second Regiment (which the Ada Company was a part of) gave the principal address at the dedication for the armory. The building was originally 100 by 50 feet and included an 80 by 50 foot gallery and was built similar to the armory building in Kenton. When the building was not being used for drill, it was utilized to house basketball games and other events that required a large space. 

In 1968 there was the possibility of the armory being sold by the State after the passing of Senate Bill 496. To that point, the armory had been used to train hundreds of soldiers through both World Wars and was currently being used for the Vietnam War. The State of Ohio decided not to sell the building until 15 years later when the guardsmen of Ada armory were required to move to Spencerville. In March of 1987, the building was sold at auction to Mr. and Mrs. Schneidhorsts for $31,332. Between the years of 1983 and 1987, when the armory was vacant, it was used for basketball practices and even the annual Halloween parade. Additionally, the building was used as a voting location multiple times.

It is unclear what Mr. and Mrs. Schneidhorsts used the building for, but it was used by the Wilson Football Factory as a warehouse at some point between 1987 and 2003. In November of 2005 though, the building debuted as the Armory Bar & Grille by the Reynolds family of Ada after two years of renovations. The restaurant came by popular demand as the residents of Ada wanted a local bar and grill to visit instead of traveling out of town.

Finally, after serving multiple purposes in it’s long history, the armory is now the location of Viva Maria’s. The Italian restaurant has left the seating area open and has chosen to decorate around the prominent 1900s architecture rather than covering it up, creating a unique atmosphere to dine in. As mentioned before, the armory has been used as a basketball court multiple times in the past 100 years, and there is even an old basketball hoop in the dining area that hints at this small piece of history. The restaurant serves amazing food with enormous portion sizes at a reasonable price, all while embracing the historic building. 

"The Armory to be Dedicated," The Record (Ada, Ohio), 1 November 1905, p. 2.

"Legislature Okays Sale of Ada Armory," The Ada Herald, 7 March 1968, p. 1.

"National Guard Armory sells," The Ada Herald, 1 April 1987, p. 1.

Rosanna Scott. "Armory Bar & Grille set to open Nov. 11," The Ada Herald, 3 November 2005, p. 1.