Ogden Arsenal, Rest House, North side of North Carolina Lane, Layton

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

No address listed, located on the north side of North Carolina Lane, Primer Loading Plant, Hill Air Force Base, Layton Vicinity, Davis County, Utah Note: For shelving purposes at the Library of Congress, Layton Vicinity in Davis County was assigned as the "official" location of Hill Air Force Base. Building is actually in the Ogden Vicinity of Weber County. Date of Construction: Architect: Unknown Builder: Unknown

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

This Rest House served the Primer Loading Plant, where primers for anti- tank ammunition were manufactured at Ogden Arsenal. The building provides particularly vivid images of the processes involved in the manufacture of munitions at Ogden Arsenal during World War II. 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 II. History: Building served as a Rest House for the Primer Loading Plant. In order to ensure maximum safety and efficient production, all components of anti- tank ammunition were brought to a consistent temperature prior to assembly. Rest Houses such as Building were used as transient storage for small amounts of chemicals like black powder.

These chemicals were stored in the Rest Houses until they reached die same temperature as the Primer Loading Building (usually 48 hours). Any moisture that may have condensed on the packages evaporated during this stage. OGDEN ARSENAL, REST HOUSE HAER No. UT-84-AW Page 2 Because these buildings were used to store highly explosive elements, they were designed to minimize the damage to surrounding buildings and workers. Building is surrounded on the east, south, and west by blast-deflecting earth mounds that were intended to deflect and absorb any shock waves that might accompany an accidental explosion. General Description: Building x located in the original Primer Loading Plant Area, is a one-story, gable-roofed building with a five-foot overhang above the double door entry.

This type of storage shed was prevalent throughout the Arsenal plants. It is made of poured concrete columns infilled with the red hollow tile characteristic of the "Arsenal" style. The roof of this building has a pitch of and is surfaced with its original corrugated asbestos. The roof is composed of steel beams on exposed light steel framing. A 12-inch diameter copper ventilator with a damper is centered on the ridge roll. Originally the tile walls were coated with "Keene's Cement" on the interior as a protective measure against explosions, with a four-foot high linoleum wainscot lining the bottom half. Linoleum was also used as a floor surface, covering the 4-inch concrete slab which itself rests on a 4-inch layer of hollow tile laid on a 6-inch cinder bed.

The sidewalk outside of the entry consists of a poured concrete slab reinforced with welded fabric also atop a 6-inch cinder bed. This structure is identical in function and design to the following buildings: also in the Primer Loading Plant; and in the West Fuze Plant; and in the East Fuze Plant; and in the North Loading Plant; and in the West Loading Plant; and and in the East Loading Plant.