Statement of Significance (as of designation - June 7, 1988):
Established in 1862, this is one of the largest military construction projects of the late 19th century. These ten large manufacturing shops and ancillary buildings remain today the administrative and technological core of the arsenal. General Rodman, a major figure in the history of American ordnance technology outlined an ambitious construction program when he was the arsenal's second commandant (1865-1871). Among the arsenal's significant contributions to U.S. ordnance technology are its leading roles in production of artillery carriages and recoil mechanisms.