New York, NY
Military Entrance Processing Station
The New York MEPS originated in 1886 at 39 Whitehall in Manhattan, New York. During this era it was known as an "Induction Center" and was collocated in a four-story building with a vegetable store. The building was later converted into an eight-story building with a portion designated as a barber shop used to shave the heads of individuals entering the military. After a bomb blast inside the building in October 1969, the then "Whitehall Examining and Entrance Station" moved to Fort Hamilton Army Post into a warehouse. It was later renamed the "New York MEPS." Over the years, it went through numerous renovations. Between November 1992 and July 1996, the New York MEPS went through a major 3.1 million dollar renovation. During this period, its mission also increased with the closing of the MEPS in Newark, New Jersey in 1995. It is now considered one of the two largest MEPS in the United States.