It’s a new chapter for a historic Scranton building.
Ron Augelli plans to open Armory Athletics, a multipurpose sports space, in 120,000 square feet of space in the castlelike Watres Armory at 900 Adams Ave.
It will include a training academy in basketball, wrestling, softball and baseball, as well as opportunities for local leagues to hold indoor trainings. There will be Junior NBA and WNBA winter, summer, spring and fall leagues, and adult programs.
The facility’s tagline will be, “Build your arsenal, be game ready” — which Augelli said is fitting for the site, which was originally built for the Pennsylvania National Guard.
Drew Hanlen, whose experience includes work as an NBA top skills trainer, will lead the operations.
Augelli, who owns custom apparel shop Talk Shirty to Me, is currently working to build out the space and plans to apply to the city’s zoning board for approval. He anticipates trainings will start in late November, with leagues launching in December.
The facility is not Augelli’s first venture into opening a sports venue. He and Alfred “Butch” Kriger Jr. purchased 17 acres along the Lackawanna River in the northeast corner of Dickson City earlier this year to build a youth sports complex. Like Armory Athletics, the Dickson City complex will host tournaments and provide a place for kids to train with performance metrics.
Ron Augelli, founder of Armory Athletics, is converting the Watres Armory in Scranton into an indoor sports complex. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Ron Augelli, founder of Armory Athletics, is converting the Watres Armory in Scranton into an indoor sports complex. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Ron Augelli, founder of Armory Athletics, is converting the Watres Armory in Scranton into an indoor sports complex. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Ron Augelli, founder of Armory Athletics, is converting the Watres Armory in Scranton into an indoor sports complex. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Ron Augelli, founder of Armory Athletics, is converting the Watres Armory in Scranton into an indoor sports complex. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
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Ron Augelli, founder of Armory Athletics, is converting the Watres Armory in Scranton into an indoor sports complex. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Augelli said he and his business partner are still planning the complex in Dickson City, and the Watres Armory space will complement it. Having the space in the armory also gives them a head start, with groundbreaking on the Dickson City facility expected to take a year.
Built between 1900 and 1901 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the armory was home to the Pennsylvania National Guard until it moved in 2011 to a new center on Olyphant Avenue. Local developer Don Mammano has owned the building since 2015, when he purchased it from the state.
Neo-Expressionist artist Hunt Slonem occupied the space in the building beginning in 2015 but moved out several months ago, Augelli said. A painter, sculptor and printmaker known for his colorful works depicting birds and rabbits, Slonem has been displayed in more than 50 museums worldwide.
Efforts to reach Mammano for comment about the new facility were unsuccessful.
Augelli said the place will be one for children to hang out at and a community asset.
“Kids have nowhere to go, and we’re looking to provide something to give them somewhere to hang their hat, call home, meet new friends from across Northeastern Pennsylvania,” he said. “We’re giving a great opportunity for the local community to be back in such a beautiful building that’s, you know, a historic part of Scranton.”