Ogden Arsenal, Change House, 6266 Hickory Lane, Layton

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

Building the change house for both the East and West Fuze Loading Plants, provides particularly vivid images of the accommodations made for worker safety and welfare at Ogden Arsenal during World War II. Workers in these plants handled Tetryl, a poisonous and highly explosive material. They changed into and out of coverall uniforms in Building which housed facilities for the workers to wash with sulphur and acetone. This building, along with other structures at the base, renders a unique picture of the U.S. Army build-up which occurred on the eve of and during World War n. History: Building housed restroom and break facilities for people who worked in both the East and West Fuze Plants.

Since workers in these plants handled Tetryl, a poisonous and highly explosive material, they needed facilities to change into and out of coverall uniforms near the plant. In order to minimize the presence of Tetryl in uniforms, these coveralls contained no pockets, cuffs, or belts. Workers washed with sulphur and acetone, which neutralized any Tetryl on their skin. Ogden Arsenal, Change House HAER No. UT-84-AJ Page 2 Building contained a common lunch room and drinking fountain hall that were only accessible from the exterior, as well as toilets, sinks, and showers for both men and women. The women's facilities contained approximately 675 square feet, while the men's facilities contained approximately 385 square feet. The lunch room accommodated 150 workers at a time.

General Description: Building x is a one-story structure constructed of concrete hollow tile. Most of the original floor plan is still in tact, although the building has been given over to administrative tasks. The present interior consists of offices, meeting rooms, restrooms, and storage areas. The interior walls are constructed of 8" thick concrete block. The exterior concrete hallow tile walls are articulated by exposed concrete columns which form five structural bays. The first floor sits on grade with the center and north end bays each having a single entrance door accessed by a concrete sidewalk. The remaining bays have a pair of steel-framed hopper windows sitting on plain lug sills.

The pitch roof of the building is supported by a steel trusses and is surfaced with corrugated asbestos siding. There are also two 12-inch diameter copper ventilators with dampers located along the roof ridge, with two lightning aerials located at each end of the ridge line. ^ \- Ogden Arsenal, Change House HAER No. UT-84-AJ Page 3 i9e - * V^ erf ^ <; ^ ^ <3 T 0- Q M