The armory was named after Spanish–American War hero, metallurgist, and industrialist Captain Alfred E. Hunt (1855–1899), best known for founding the company that would eventually become Alcoa, the world's largest producer and distributor of aluminum.

The Hunt Armory occupies an entire city block covering an area of 56,000 square feet (5,200 m2), also reported as 1.84 acres.

Until the Pittsburgh Civic Arena was completed in 1961, the Hunt Armory was the largest auditorium in Pittsburgh and was frequently the host for concerts and political events including: The Armory is closed for military use, but continues to be used for other purposes.

[11] Hunt Armory has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since November 14, 1991.

It received City of Pittsburgh historic landmark status on February 27, 2014.