Ogden Arsenal, Paint Magazine, West side of Lemon Street, between New Hampshire & Browning Streets, Layton

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

Building stored paint that was used in the production of anti-tank ammunition that was manufactured in the West Loading Plant Area. 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 was used to store paint used in the West Loading Plant Area. Painting was an essential step in the production of ammunition because it sealed the metal and protected shells from rust damage while in storage or in the field.

Empty shells were painted prior to loading with explosives in the nearby Assembly, Packing, and Shipping Building (Building The paint was stored in Building and transferred to Building in small quantities as it was needed. Although Building was used to store paint, it was intended to store highly explosive elements and was designed to minimize the damage to surrounding buildings and workers in the event of explosions. 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. Ogden Arsenal, Paint Magazine HAER No. UT-84-BE Page 2 General Description: Building x is a one-story, gable-roofed building with a five-foot eave overhang above the double door entries.

This facility is the only remaining rest house of its type still on the Base. The building is constructed of reinforced concrete columns infilled with red eight-inch concrete tiles. Originally, the tile was coated on the interior with "Keene's Cement," a hard, white, high-strength plaster made by adding alum to burning gypsum, as a protective measure against explosions. The roof structure, including the overhang, is composed of steel beams on exposed light steel framing. Two twelve-inch diameter copper ventilators with dampers are centered on the asbestos ridge roll. Each of the gable end walls have a single steel frame window. The front elevation has a pair of double steel doors with windows, while the rear elevation has a pair of steel frame windows.

The floor is made of linoleum on a four-inch concrete slab which itself sits on a layer of dirt fill. The interior consists of a single, column-free room, accessible from grade.