Ogden Arsenal, Change House, 6318 Oak Lane, Layton

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

Building the Change House for the East Loading Plant, 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 Smokeless Powder and Tetryl, poisonous and highly explosive materials. They changed into and out of protective uniforms in Building which housed facilities for the workers to wash with sulfur 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 II. History: Building housed restroom and break facilities for people who worked in the East Loading Plant.

Since workers in these plants handled Smokeless Powder and Tetryl, poisonous and highly explosive materials, they needed facilities to change into and out of government issued protective clothing near the plant. In order to minimize the presence of dangerous chemicals in their uniforms, these coveralls contained no pockets, cuffs, or belts. Workers washed with sulphur and acetone, which neutralized any Smokeless Powder or Tetryl on their skin. 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 men's facilities were approximately twice the size of the women's. Ogden Arsenal, Change House HAER No.

UT-84-BI Page 2 General Description: Building x is a one story gable roofed building located in the original East Loading Plant area. The building is framed with poured reinforced concrete columns that mark six bays along its length. The west facade contains four single door entries that lead into the original lunch room and men's locker room. Similar doors on the east facade lead into the lunch room and women's locker room. Each of these doors is accessed directly on grade (unlike other Change Houses at Ogden Arsenal, which are elevated four feet above grade and have basements). The windows to the lunch room area contain nine panes, while the windows to the locker rooms contain only six panes.

The north facade contains 4 windows and the lunch room on the south side originally contained two windows and two doors. The slope roof is covered with corrugated asbestos and contains lightning "aerials" (rods) along the ridge line.