Since 1837 when 118 brave men adopted the motto, "Semper Paratus," (Always Prepared) and where chartered in as an independent militia the Cleveland Grays and their friends have made history. From 1792 to 1903 state and federal law authorized independent militias, private volunteer groups that supplemented the official state militia, and served the community in all the ways that the National Guard does today. The Richardsonian Romanesque Revival-style Armory was built in 1893. Within its imposing walls the armory has also made history by hosting Cleveland's finest events and its people. Including the first concert by John Phillip Sousa and Cleveland's first Auto Show.
