Ogden Arsenal, Dispensary, Intersection of Circle Drive & Georgia Street, Layton

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

Building renders a unique picture of medical care and residential life for non-commissioned 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 of 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 the post dispensary, originally housed the medical facilities that were provided for the workers who were needed at Ogden Arsenal. These workers assisted in the manufacture and storage of munitions necessary to Ogden Arsenal, Dispensary HAER No. UT-84-F Page 2 support the Pacific and European theaters of military operation. When the dispensary was relocated in Building was converted into a duplex for non-commissioned officers and their families. This building contributes to an understanding of the inherent hierarchy among military workers, since officers lived in more spacious and elegant quarters than enlisted men.

It is located in a neighborhood 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 rectangular, two-story Colonial Revival duplex, is located in the prestigious 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 nine-course American bond, with brick quoins at the corners. The hip roof is accentuated with a wooden cupola and decorative finial at the center of the building along the ridge. A mechanical unit is also located on the roof, to the east side of the cupola.

The slight overhang of the roof, with its molded wood trim, eases the transition from roof to wall. The front entrance features a simple projecting porch supported by slender, round wooden columns and two doors. On either side of the entrance are two rectangular Palladian windows; the half-round fanlights above have been replaced with decorative wood panels. These windows are composed of a central picture window with flanking two-over-two double hungs on either side. Most of the remaining windows are modern aluminum one-over-one double hungs with snap-on mullions. Brick lintels are configured in a flat arch arrangement. The north (rear) elevation has a divided porch and two entries. Located to the north is a private patio area that is enclosed with a wooden fence.

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