Ogden Arsenal, Family Quarters, East side of Circle Drive, in General's Loop area, Layton

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER UTAH,6-LAY.V,1C-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Building renders a unique picture of residential life for officers' families at Ogden Arsenal during the U.S. Army build-up which occurred on the eve of and during World War II. The building is additionally significant because it establishes a crucial link in understanding the hierarchy present among military workers. History: Ogden Arsenal, which had been laid out to store left-over and obsolete ammunition from World War I, grew dramatically during the as a response to increasing world political tensions. As World War II approached, the Arsenal served as an ammunition storage base for the Air Corps and distributed items of ordnance supply and equipment to all areas and stations in the western United States.

During this period, storage facilities multiplied more than tenfold, and the Arsenal manufactured ammunition. Building an elegant single family house, was designed for the families of upper level officers, who were needed at Ogden Arsenal to supervise the manufacture and storage of munitions necessary to support the Pacific and European theaters of operation. This building contributes to an understanding of the inherent hierarchy among military workers, since officers lived in more Ogden Arsenal, Family Quarters HAER No. UT-84-C Page 2 spacious and elegant quarters than enlisted men. It faces a common formal lawn that embraces a distinctly suburban ambiance because of its lush landscaping, private patios, spacious yards, and curving drive.

This area is fully detached from the industrial munitions storage area to the northeast. General Description: Building a two-and-one-half story Colonial Revival house, is one of three located in the General's Loop area. Like the other houses in the neighborhood, it is constructed of red brick and shows Georgian stylistic influences. Its walls are laid in five-course American bond, with brick quoins at the corners. The building's massing is broken down into two distinct parts: the main two- and-one-half story block containing the entrance, and a flat-roofed, one-story solarium wing to the north. The central block is covered with a hip roof. A single gabled dormer is located in the center of the main block.

The slight overhang of the roof, with its wood trim, eases the transition from roof to wall. The front entrance is located on the west elevation, which faces onto a common formal lawn. It is accentuated with a segmental pediment supported by pilasters with Tuscan capitals. The windows are wooden sash, double-hung, with six- over-six panes. Brick lintels are configured in a flat arch arrangement. A brick chimney with a concrete cap rises from the ridge, at the juncture of the main block and projecting wing. The east (rear) elevation has an enclosed shed entry. Located to the east is a private patio area that is enclosed with a wooden fence and brick piers. Ogden Arsenal, Family Quarters HAER No. UT-84-C Page 3 V FIRST FLOOR