Ogden Arsenal, Igloo Type Magazine, Service Road, east of Beechnut Service Way, Layton

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

Building provides particularly vivid insight into the processes involved in the storage of highly explosive components like munitions. In addition, this building contributes to an understanding of the U.S. Army build-up which occurred on the eve of and during World War II. History: The introduction of various types of ammunition manufacture at Ogden Arsenal during World War II necessitated the construction of many new buildings which took various forms as related to their specific functions within the overall manufacture and storage processes. Building was constructed in as part of the WPA Arsenal reconstruction after a windstorm destroyed most of the original Arsenal buildings.

It was designed to store 100 pound TNT/Amatol bombs that were produced in the Bomb Loading Plant at Ogden Arsenal. Igloo Type Magazines such as Building stored ordnance material and were designed to minimize damage to additional buildings in the event of explosions. The igloo is covered with an earthen mound and separated from surrounding buildings by open land. Ogden Arsenal, Igloo Type Magazine HAER No.

UT-84-AA Page 2 A concrete apron with a sharp slope upward from the entry made fork lift operations outside igloos like Building a difficult task, so all ordnance material was loaded by hand until That year, a process was developed that kept automatic electric fork lift trucks with combination forks inside the igloos while a conveyor track was laid from rail cars or trucks into the doorway. Both small arms ammunition and bombs were handled in this way, which saved approximately one half the time previously used by hand loading alone, with half as many workers. Building 797 is similar to Building Electrical wiring and lights were added to both of these buildings during World War II. General Description: Building X is a one-story full trapezoidal igloo.

The walls, floor, and roof are of reinforced concrete and the roof and three side walls are covered with an earthen mound. A miter arch doorway with metal explosion proof doors is located in the center of the west front elevation. A metal vent rises through the earthen mound on the east end of the building.