A 2018 Northfield News article on Armory Square opens with the line “What was old is new.” That sentiment perfectly encapsulates the change that the armory and its surrounding space have undergone in recent years. The Northfield Armory building was first established in 1915, and for many years served as a hub for the military and as storage for weaponry and housing for soldiers in the weeks before they were sent off to war.

Even after it ceased to be used for this military purpose, the armory building was owned by the Minnesota Department of Military Affairs until 2016. That year, it was purchased by Jonathan and Liz Reppe, who soon entered into a massive renovation project that would integrate the armory space—a meaningful one to the couple—into the community more than it ever had been before.