Victory Hall Association.

The Victory Hall Association, Inc. was founded in 1919 to collect subscriptions for the erection of a combined war memorial and convention center, Victory Hall, in New York City. The memorial would contain bronze plaques inscribed with the names of the war dead, vaults holding copies of their military records, as well as an auditorium, exhibit halls, meeting rooms, and sports facilities. The site selected for the building was an empty lot stretching the entire block bounded by Lexington and Park Avenues in the east and west, and by 42nd and 41st Streets to the north and south. The organization's president, George W. Wingate, led the fight to have the city donate the land for this purpose. The plan was hotly debated during 1920, with the strongest opposition coming from Acting President of the Board of Aldermen, Fiorello LaGuardia, who denounced the idea as a real estate scheme. He refused to let the city give away what was probably the most valuable piece of property in the world. The city eventually sold the property and Victory Hall was never built.

From the guide to the Victory Hall Association records, 1920-1921, (The New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division.)

The Victory Hall Association, Inc. was founded in 1919 to collect subscriptions for the erection of a combined war memorial and convention center, Victory Hall, in New York City.

The memorial would contain bronze plaques inscribed with the names of the war dead, vaults holding copies of their military records, as well as an auditorium, exhibit halls, meeting rooms, and sports facilities. The site selected for the building was an empty lot stretching the entire block bounded by Lexington and Park Avenues in the east and west, and by 42nd and 41st Streets to the north and south. The organization's president, George W. Wingate, led the fight to have the city donate the land for this purpose. The plan was hotly debated during 1920, with the strongest opposition coming from Acting President of the Board of Aldermen, Fiorello LaGuardia, who denounced the idea as a real estate scheme. He refused to let the city give away what was probably the most valuable piece of property in the world. The city eventually sold the property and Victory Hall was never built.

From the description of Victory Hall Association records, 1920-1921. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122607382