The Grantsville Meetinghouse constructed in 1865-66 is locally significant as one of a limited number of early LDS meetinghouses still standing that was built in the traditional style of early church buildings, based on the Greek Revival temple form, and in traditional building materials, adobe that was plastered over. It is particularly unusual among early meetinghouses in that the vestry was attached at the rear of the building and not on the front as was most common. The building served as a center for religious and community activities in the early days of Grantsville and is a reminder of the importance of the church in all aspects of pioneer life. A 1952 addition is not included in the historic register nomination.
The Grantsville First Ward Meetinghouse is located at 297 West Clark Street in Grantsville, Utah and was added to the National Register of Historic Places (#82004165) on February 11, 1982.
In 1848, Thomas Ricks and Ira Will-is built the first structure on what is present day Clark Street in Grantsville. The building was a herd house used by the two men who were herding stock for Brigham Young and Bishop Edwin D. Wooley.
On October 10, 1850, Joseph McBride, Harrison Severe and their families arrived and established Willow Creek. In March of 1851, the families moved across the valley and resided in the settlement of Pine Canyon. The reason for this move was for protection against the Indians in the area who had been raiding cattle from the white settlers. In December of that year, McBrides, Severes, and five other families returned to establish a permanent settlement. It was at this time that the first “branch” of the IDS Church was established at Grantsville. In 1852, the townsite was surveyed by Jesse W. Fox under the direction of Colonel George W. Grant, an officer in the Nauvoo Legion. Grant had been chosed by Brigham Young to help the Saints protect themselves against the Indians in the area. In 1853, the town was renamed “Grantsville” in honor of Col. Grant.
In March, 1854, Elder Wilford Woodruff called for more volunteers to help settle the area. This call took place at a conference of the church held in the tabernacle in Salt Lake City. In 1853, a fort was begun and by fall of 1854, it was nearly completed. The fort wall had a five foot thick base that gradually narrowed to an eighteen inch thickness at the top. The wall was twelve feet high. It was during this period of time that the first meetinghouse was built. The log structure had a dirt floor and was approximately 20′ x 16′. The building served as the hub of community life. It was located in the area west of the chapel that is now Cooley Street. In 1865, plans were made for a new meetinghouse. The building was to be located within the fort walls. The building would be made of adobe bricks and the clay for these bricks came from the pits located a quarter mile north of the building.
In July of 1865, construction of the building began under the direction of Hugh Alexander Ross Gillespie, a native of Scotland who had come to Tooele in 1853. Gillespie is also responsible for building some of the structures at Camp Floyd and bad come to Utah to work on the Salt Lake City Temple. The building was completed in June of 1866 at a reported cost of $10,000. The building was 60 feet in length and 38 feet wide, with a vestry located on tbe back of the building that was 22 feet by 18 feet. The “Presiding Elder” of the Grantsville Branch at the time of construction was Thomas H. Clark.
Dedicatory services for the building were held July 14, 1866. Those attending the services included Brigham Young, Wilford Woodruff, George Albert Smith, and Franklin D. Richard, with the dedicatory prayer being offered by George Q. Cannon. At these services, Brigham Young blessed the Saints and requested that there should be not dancing in the new meetinghouse. Members of the community are proud of the fact that every man who is or has been president of the LDS Church, has spoken in this building with the exception of Joseph Smith.
In 1877, the Grantsville Ward was established and William Jefferies became the first bishop of Grantsville. During these early years, the church continued to serve as the hub of the community, as did the log structures in the 1850s and early 1860s. The meetinghouse was the center of social and community life, as well as religious life. By the early part of the Twentieth century. Grantsville had grown to the point that the ward was divided and the Grantsville Second Ward was established. This took place in 1914. It was at this time that the Second Ward Meetinghouse was built on Main Street. This building was recently demolished (1980). The addition on the eastern end of the First Ward building was added in 1952 to provide classroom space. The meetinghouse was used until 1978, when a new building was built. After the move to the new building, discussion as to the use of this building took place. Plans included demolition at one point. There was also speculation about the city buying it. When the city decided not to buy the building, Tate Mortuary of Tooele purchased the building. In the future, the building will be used for viewings and funeral services.
The Grantsville Ward Meetinghouse is a one story, gable roof, rectangular structure whose style is derived from the Greek Revival temple form. It is situated gable end to the street. Classical elements include a boxed cornice with returns on the gable ends, and quoins. The pattern of the quoins is repeated around the door which is centered on the facade.
The meetinghouse was constructed of adobe, and then stuccoed. The thickness of the walls exceeds two feet. Wood shingles have been replaced by asphalt shingles on the roof. A vestry was added to the rear of meetinghouse. It has a gable roof and a cornice similar to the meetinghouse.
The façade is symmetrical, the door centered between two windows. Above the door is a medallion on which is printed, “LDS Chapel, First Ward, 1866.” All the windows on the meetinghouse and vestry are the double hung sash type, and those on the meetinghouse have a transom over them.
The main assembly room has undergone extensive remodeling. The choir loft was removed to make way for a bigger rostrum area. In 1952 a complex of classrooms and other auxiliary rooms was added to the east of the chapel, it detracts only slightly fromthe original integrity of the building and is not included as part of the nomination.
This monument marks the spot where on Sept. 30, 1852 the first iron was manufactured west of the Mississippi River by the Mormon Iron Missionaries sent by Brigham Young.
This 5½ ton ore body was obtained from the iron deposits used by iron workers located about seven miles west of Cedar City in the Three Peaks area; it is about 16% Fe. The smaller specimens are some that were actually hauled by horse-drawn vehicles to this site and were found during excavation. The blast furnace, foundry, pattern shop, coke and charcoal ovens, water wheel and office of the early Pioneer Iron Works were located north, south, and east of this monument.
The technology of using coke was brought by these early iron workers directly from England where the use of charcoal had been outlawed and which was a relatively new idea, especially in American iron manufacturing. In spite of floods which inundated the iron works, the undependable water source and other natural and man made difficulties, considerable iron was produced here until 1858 making the Iron Industry one of the leading factors in the economy of the Utah Territory.
This monument was dedicated November 11, 1978 (Cedar City’s 127th Birthday) and is located at 400 North 100 East in Cedar City, Utah.
Pioneer Iron Works Blast Furnace
To satisfy an urgent need for manufactured iron products, a small group of English, Welch, Scotch, Irish and American pioneers answered a call from Brigham Young to become “Iron Missionaries” to settle Iron County and to make iron. They arrived in Parowan on January 13, 1851 and produced the first iron west of the Mississippi on September 30, 1852 on this site. Due to economic, social, environmental and technical problems the Iron Works was closed down in October 1858.
Newspaper Rock is a petroglyph panel etched in sandstone that records approximately 2,000 years of early human activity. Pre-historic peoples, probably from the Archaic, Basketmaker, Fremont and Pueblo cultures, etched on the rock from B.C. time to A.D. 1300. In historic times, Ute and Navajo people, as well as European Americans made their contributions.
In interpreting the figures on the rock, scholars are undecided as to their meaning or have yet to decipher them. In Navajo, the rock is called “Tse’ Hane’ ” (Rock that tells a story).
Unfortunately, we do not know if the figures represent storytelling, doodling, hunting magic, clan symbols, ancient graffiti or something else. Without a true understanding of the petroglyphs, much is left for individual interpretation.
Newspaper Rock is located on Highway 211 in San Juan County, Utah and was added to the National Register of Historic Places (#76001833) on March 15, 1976.
Newspaper Rock Petroglyph Panel at Indian Creek State Park is an outstanding site, exhibiting some of the finest examples of Ute art work as well as that of earlier cultures. The quality of the carvings is uniformly high, and the wealth of figures provides considerable material for the study of prehistoric and early historic aboriginal cultures. The more recent Ute figures on the panel are believed to date between A.D. 1700 and 1750. The depiction of horses indicates that the panels were probably not done before A.D. 1700 or -even 1750. On the other hand, the fact that the horsemen are using bows and arrows suggests that the carvings were executed ~ before ca. 1850, since bows were probably not the usual weapons utilized after this date.
The chronological position and cultural affiliation of the earlier figures on the panel presents a problem. Despite the fact that Schaafsma (1970) considers evidence which indicates that this may not be the fact, including the assumption (as yet unproven) that archeologists can assign a particular rock art style to a particular culture. At present, there are no known Fremont sites in the Indian Creek drainage. Sites which have been recorded in adjacent areas are generally considered to be Mesa Verde Anasazi. Thus, other archeological evidence would seem to indicate that the earlier figures on Newspaper Rock are either Mesa Verde Anasazi or belong to earlier cultures in the area (Basketmaker II or III).
In addition to it’s significance as an example of aboriginal art, the site has become a model of how to handle major archeological sites in heavily traveled areas. As Schaafsma has noted “If isolation does not protect the site, it is better to bring it right out for all to see, giving the best explanation possible and providing the most effective physical protection available” (1970:58).
The American Fork 3rd Ward Meetinghouse, constructed in 1903 and expanded in 1938 and in the 1950’s, is significant for its association with the growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon Church) in northwest American Fork and for its importance to the community and the patterns of social life seen in its use.
Architecturally, the building is significant as an artifact documenting evolution of and influences on architectural styles and customs of the LDS Church during the first half of the century. This era, when the church (officially) established standardized design for its church buildings, is believed by architectural historians to be the golden age of Mormon meetinghouse architecture.
This building is one of four meetinghouses designed and built by local craftsmen and ward members in American Fork, and it reflects the popularity of the Gothic Revival and Victorian Eclectic styles in church buildings during this era. The 1938 addition of a Jacobethan Revival-style recreation hall and classroom wing, designed by the church architectural department, reflects the church’s policy of including all church functions under one roof; previously separate amusement halls had been the policy. The 1958 addition and interior renovation, designed by Clifford Evans Architects, was a conservatively modern attempt to adapt the original structure to a growing ward membership.
The church sold the building in 1995 due to its limited size. After being a daycare center, it was purchased in January 2001 by the Hawker family, who then initiated the extensive renovation, working closely with the National Historic Register to preserve its historic value. The grand opening of Northampton House, a wedding, banquet, and reception hall, took place in October 2001.
Located at 198 West 300 North in American Fork, Utah and added to the National Register of Historic Places (#02001554) in 2003.
Narrative Statement of Significance
The American Fork Third Ward Meetinghouse, built in 1903 and expanded in 1938 and the 1950s, is significant under the “Meetinghouses & Tabernacles” context of the Mormon Church Buildings in Utah: 1847-1936 multiple resource nomination, for its association with the growth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon Church) membership in the northwest portion of American Fork, Utah. The building is significant under Criterion A for its importance to the community and the patterns of social life seen in its use. The building is also significant under Criterion C as an important document of the influences on and changes in architectural styles and customs of the LDS Church during the first half of the twentieth century. The original 1903 chapel is one of four churches, designed and built by local craftsman and ward members, and reflected the popularity of the Gothic Revival and the Victorian Eclectic in turn-of-the-century church construction. The1938 addition of a recreation hall and classroom wing, designed and directed by a strong church central architectural department, was Jacobethan in style and reflected the church’s policy of including all church auxiliaries and functions under one roof. The 1958 addition and interior renovation, designed by a Salt Lake firm with ties to the church, was a conservatively modern attempt to adapt the original structure for a growing membership. Between January and September 2001 the American Fork Third Ward Meetinghouse was extensively rehabilitated to adapt the building for use as a reception center. This work was being completed as a historic tax credit project, and included the restoration of several original features. The building is in excellent condition and is a contributing historic resource of American Fork.
HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN FORK THIRD WARD MEETINGHOUSE
In the summer of 1850, three years after members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints arrived in the Salt Lake valley, pioneers camped in the area now known as American Fork while traveling to Provo, fifteen miles to the south. Impressed by the area, Arza Adams and Stephen Chipman asked permission from Brigham Young to establish a cattle ranch, but were instructed to survey several tracts for settlement. The initial pattern of settlement in 1851 differed from the traditional Mormon villages because the settlers chose to first live and farm along the creek where they had access to water rather than build on the small orderly town lots. Indian unrest resulted in the construction of a fort in 1853, and from then on the settlement was less dispersed and the town grew within the town site. For most of the 1850s through 1870s, American Fork residents relied on ranching and subsistence farming, lived in simple log and adobe homes, and held meetings in an adobe building, also used as a school. The city was incorporated on June 18, 1853, as Lake City, and later the name was officially changed to American Fork in 1860.
Economic growth came in the late nineteenth century as the city became stable enough to strengthen municipal institutions and support mercantile trading. The Deseret Telegraph Company established an office in American Fork in 1867. By 1870, a narrow gauge railroad was built to the nearby canyon to support mining activity, and a major event occurred in 1873 when the Utah Southern Railroad extended its service to American Fork.
Mining brought cash to support a growing mercantile base, and brickyards and lumber mills allowed residents to construct more substantial and stylish homes and businesses. When the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad reached American Fork in 1883, the city was experiencing intensive commercial growth and municipal maturity. Between 1890 and 1900, the population of the city grew from 1,942 to 2,732.
The American Fork Ward of the LDS Church was organized on May 5, 1851, and was the social focus of the practically the entire town for fifty years. On January 13, 1901, a general reorganization of the LDS Church in Utah County took place. The original Utah Stake of Zion (a stake is equivalent to a diocese), which once encompassed all LDS wards (equivalent to parishes) in the county, was divided into three stakes. The northern portion of the county, which included American Fork, became the new Alpine Stake. Six months later, on July 14, 1901, the American Fork Ward was divided into four wards, each comprising a quadrant of the city. A committee was appointed in each of the four wards to locate a site on which to building a ward chapel. The four buildings were completed by 1905, and all were rectangular buildings with towers at one corner and Gothic Revival details. Local carpenter, Arthur Dickerson (1874-1949) designed the Third Ward. The four ward bishops bought the brick together because they could get a good price for such a large quantity. All four chapels were later expanded (1920s-1930s) to include recreation hall and additional classrooms. Of the four buildings, only two are extant: the Second Ward Meetinghouse, which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1992, and later incorporated into the American Fork Historic District in 1998; and the Third Ward building. The Fourth Ward building was destroyed by fire on June 28, 1975, and the First Ward was demolished in the late 1960s.
The American Fork Third Ward included all the members living in the northwest quadrant of the city. A corner lot at 190 West 300 North belonging to the Thomas Shelley (1822-1903) family was acquired by John R. Hindley (1863-1947), first bishop of the Third Ward, for the sum of four hundred dollars in May 1902. On October 3rd, Hindley transferred the deed to the American Fork Third Ward to be administered by him as bishop and by his successors. Excavation on the building commenced in April 1903. Members began holding services in the basement as soon as the first room was finished. The chapel was completed by 1905. With few exceptions, the labor to build the edifice was donated by ward members. The building was completed at a cost of $9,099.75. Both the Third and Fourth Ward chapels were dedicated on March 17, 1907. A photograph taken on that Sunday morning indicates a crowd of more than 200 in attendance at the Third Ward service. An interior photograph taken that year shows the chapel with metal frame, theater-type seats, elaborate woodwork in the podium-pulpit area, and a large coal burning stove to provide heat. A second smaller stove was located in the basement. According to Ellen Tracy, historian of the Third Ward, the “grounds were lovely with grass and trees. North of the building were hitching posts for those who had to come with horse and buggy or wagons. And back of the hitching posts was a grove of trees and grass where many socials were held.” The manuscript history of the ward notes a second dedication on September 3, 1908, by Joseph F. Smith.
The ward grew steadily and by July 1915, the northern-most portion of the ward boundaries was given to the Highland and Alpine Wards, with a transfer of 95 members. The ward continued to grow, but for many years the original chapel was more than adequate especially since extremely large groups could by accommodated in the Alpine Stake Tabernacle, built between 1909 and 1914. In 1929, with a ward membership of 659, a committee was formed to discuss the building of an amusement hall. During the previous decade the LDS Church had instituted a policy of including all ward auxiliaries and functions under one roof. For example, the Third Ward Relief Society (the ladies’ auxiliary) converted an old school house to a Relief Society Hall in which they held meetings for eighteen years. The anticipated construction was postponed; however there appears to have been some minor renovation work in the chapel and basement by contractors of the Chipman Mercantile Company completed in 1929. By 1932, the ward was paid off the debt for this work and began again to consider an addition. In June 1937, the ward approved plans for a new recreation hall and classroom block provided by the church architectural department, and work commenced exactly one year later. The general contractor for the project was again Chipman Mercantile of American Fork. Electrical work awarded to Samuel F. Grant of American Fork, and Utah Fuel Supply of Salt Lake City was awarded the heating contract. Work proceeded so quickly that by October 1938, the building committee was able to report the brickwork was complete and the shingling nearly complete. The building was mostly finished by 1939 and more than double the existing floor space. The recreation hall included a basketball court, stage area, and projection room (movies were a popular ward social event in the 1930s and 1940s). The classroom wing included twelve classrooms, a Relief Society room, bishop’s office and kitchen. Other amenities included new restrooms, a cloakroom, and remodeling of the basement.
Though the project was not completely finished until 1942, the majority of work took less than a year partly because more paid labor was used than in previous projects. Final cost was about $30,000, with the general church fund providing sixty percent of the cost and the ward financing forty percent. This left the ward with a hefty debt on the building. Several methods of fond raising were used. The ward held benefit banquets, including a January 1939 dinner held for the general public in the basement of the tabernacle. In 1940 the Relief Society raised funds by sewing a quilt featuring the names of all the officers who had served in various ward capacities since 1901. One enthusiastic member issued a challenge to the priesthood that he would match dollar for dollar all funds donated by other ward members. The amount was considerably more than he anticipated, but he came through and paid up. The completion of the new wing raised enthusiasm in the ward. The year 1939 was a banner year for perfect attendance awards.
Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, American Fork was a primarily agrarian community. Though only a few residents participated in large-scale agricultural production, most families supplemented their employment by having vegetable gardens, small orchards, and chicken coops on their large lots. Growth in the community was slow, the population of American Fork increased by less than 700 between 1910 and 1940. World War II brought the Geneva Steel Plant and thousands of defense workers to Utah County. Many stayed in the area, and by 1950, the population of American Fork had jumped to 5,126. The large lots within the Third Ward boundaries began to be subdivided to accommodate the post-war housing boom. In January 1950, with a ward membership of 1,022, the Third Ward was divided creating the Eighth Ward whose members lived on the east side of 100 West. The division necessitated staggering meeting times in order to share the building. The Eighth Ward later moved into a new building with the Sixth Ward.
In April 1956, a committee was organized to study possible additions and renovations to the Third Ward building. The accepted proposal was projected at a cost of $48,850. Dal Allred of Clifford Evans Architects, a Salt Lake firm with long-standing ties to the LDS Church designed the classroom-office wing to the west, and a substantial remodel of the chapel. Renovation work began on February 29, 1957, when the men and boys of the ward removed the original chapel seats. Meetings were held in the Alpine Stake Tabernacle during the construction. The ward held seven building-fund banquets and other entertainments to help defray construction costs. Virtually all of the building received some type of renovation, but the most significant alteration was made in the chapel where the original podium pulpit was removed and a new one built at the opposite end. All new landscaping and expanded parking facilities were also included in the project. The final cost of the 1957-1958 work was estimated at $85,885.77. Four hundred fifty members (out of a ward population of 940) attended dedication services on December 14, 1958.
The design of the renovation was intended to accommodate two wards in the building, which occurred in March 1959 when the ward was again divided. The new Tenth Ward took all members north of 500 North. A new chapel for the Tenth Ward was built in 1964. In October 1973, the Third Ward was combined with parts of the Seventh Ward to form a new Sixteenth Ward, an event that Ellen Tracy describes as “a real blow to the older 3rd ward members.” The building continued to be used by members of the LDS Church until it was sold in October 10, 1994, when it was deemed inadequate. The Briar Rose Preschool acquired the property and immediately remodeled the building for school use. The building was sold in 1999 to the Chapel Hill Academy, and in January 2001 was acquired by the current owner. In September 2001, a complete adaptive reuse renovation of the building was completed as an historic preservation tax credit rehabilitation project. The building is currently known as the Northampton Reception Center.
ARCHITECTURE
The first meetinghouse in American Fork was a vernacular Greek Revival-style hall, built of adobe brick in 1861 (now demolished). The four ward meetinghouses built between 1901 and 1905 represent a period of change during which the LDS Church, following the pattern of other Christian denominations, considered the Gothic Revival style appropriate for church buildings.2 The character defining features of these Gothic-style meetinghouses were asymmetrical facades, crenellated towers, and pointed-arch windows with wooden tracery. In plan, the meetinghouse was typically a rectangular hall with classrooms and offices located in a wing or in the basement. The church hierarchy usually employed local builders (often members of the ward) when professionally trained architects were not available. James H. Pulley (1856-1934), a local builder-carpenter, is known to have designed the Second and Fourth Wards. Arthur Dickerson, a local builder and member of the ward’s building committee designed the Third Ward building. Arthur Dickerson was born in American Fork in 1874. He is listed on the 1900 census of American Fork as a carpenter. According to his obituary, Dickerson was an “inventor, building contractor and musician.” In addition to designing and constructing buildings, he also made violins and guitars, and dabbled in poetry. He died in Idaho in 1949.
The practice of employing local builders and architects for meetinghouse designs was common in the church until 1920. After World War I, due increasing membership and building expenses, LDS Church leaders created a centralized architectural department where standardized plans could be produced in order to erect meetinghouses more quickly and less expensively. The plans for the 1938 addition were generated by the LDS Church Architectural Department and reflect the influence of head architect Joseph Don Carlos Young (1855- 1938), who designed for the church from the 1890s to his retirement in 1936. Between 1921 and 1936, his influence permeated the design of most LDS meetinghouses produced during this period. Young used a wide range of architectural vocabulary in his designs. Most of the meetinghouse designs were based on his innovative design of a U-shaped chapel and amusement hall. This standard plan was used in a number of wards and was nicknamed the “Colonel’s Twins.” Decoration on the buildings varied, but usually incorporated Georgian and Federal-style architectural motifs. The American Fork meetinghouses were an adaptation of the U-plan to existing chapels. The Third Ward’s Jacobethan Revival (a style based on 17th century English architecture) ornamentation is subtle and complements the Gothic-style of the original chapel. The 1958 addition and renovation, while just outside of the historic period, is also an important feature of the building. The west wing is somewhat of an aberration in the church’s architectural department of the 1950s. Standardized plans, most featuring Colonial Revival exteriors and modern interiors, were available in a range of sizes and configurations to accommodate variations in membership numbers and sites. Adapting and renovating older buildings was becoming increasingly rare, as the church was embarking on an ambitious program of chapel building. The three building phases of the Third Ward represent changes in LDS Church architecture throughout the twentieth century.
Narrative Description
The American Fork Third Ward Meetinghouse is a two-story, brick church building, constructed in three phases between 1903 and 1958. The original chapel space, constructed in 1903-1905, was designed in an eclectic Gothic Revival style. In 1938, a recreation hall and classroom wing was constructed to the east and north with modest Jacobethan decorative elements. The building was again expanded in 1958 in a wing to the west and north. Through the years minor alterations have been made to the exterior of the building, none of which substantially affect the building’s overall architectural integrity. The interior was extensively remodeled during the construction of the 1958 addition. The building is currently undergoing a major rehabilitation for adaptive reuse as a reception center. This work, which is a historic preservation tax credit project, is designed to restore many of the original features of the building as well as adapt the building to a new use.
The original 1903 footprint was a 53 feet x 80 feet rectangle with a square tower and entrance vestibule at the southeast corner. The 1903 building sits on a rock-faced, ashlar, stone foundation. The brick is red tap brick laid in a running bond with flush mortar joints. Decorative brick elements included corbelling at the cornice line, square colossal pilasters (projecting above the roofline for a slightly castellated effect), and rock-faced brick accenting the window hoods and round tower windows. Windows and door transoms were pointed, gothic-arches. A large stained-glass window was located on the south elevation. The upper tower windows had a floral design. The main floor of the sanctuary was above a raised basement. Steps leading up to multi-panel, double doors were located on the tower’s south elevation, and the north end of the east elevation. A grade-level entrance to the basement was located on the east side of the vestibule. Sandstone was used for lintels, sills, impost blocks, keystones, and the date block above the tower entrance. The cornice was plain and the eaves of the simple gable roof were slightly belcast. The roof of the tower was pyramidal with patterned shingles. On the interior, the sanctuary featured a raised podium and pulpit at the north end. The podium featured Victorian-gothic ornamentation such as a lathe-turned balustrade and gothic-designs in the woodwork. Metal frame theater-style seats were used (instead of pews), and a large pot-bellied stove was mounted next to the podium to heat the space. Ward histories indicate in 1929, the basement, originally used for classroom space, was expanded and remodeled.
In 1938, the first major addition was built to the east and the north. This addition effectively doubled the floor space of the original building, with a recreation-social hall to the east, a two-story auxiliary wing (classrooms, restrooms, and kitchen) to the north, and a foyer connecting the new space to the old. The new addition is constructed on a concrete foundation with no basement. The brick is laid in common bond with headers every sixth course. The south elevation of the addition features corbelled brick and pilasters similar to the 1903 building, but the decorative elements are Jacobethan rather than Gothic Revival. The south elevation of the social hall features a projecting entrance wing with a crenellated parapet and cast concrete window and door surrounds. A second, recessed entrance (also with a cast concrete surround) leads into the connecting foyer. On the interior the foyer has stairs to the second floor classrooms and a cloakroom. The hall is open with a stage to the north and a projection room (above the projecting entrance wing). The classrooms, restrooms, kitchen etc. are located at the rear of the building and can be accessed either from the foyer or the rear entrance.
Both the north and east elevations of the 1903 building were significantly impacted by the 1938 addition. In addition, the pilaster caps and belcast eaves were probably removed at this time when a new roof was installed on the structure.
In 1958, a major remodeling took place when the west wing was added. The 1958 wing is also two stories, and construction included additional excavation of the original basement. The wing sits on a raised concrete foundation and is constructed of red brick laid in a common bond similar to the 1938 addition. Although the 1958 addition features pilasters, there is little ornamentation such as corbelling. The windows are steel-sash, multi-pane windows and the doors were multi-paneled wood. The wing sits sufficiently back from the south elevation and does not impact the main facades of the 1903 and 1938 portions. The main feature of the 1958 addition is the entrance on the west elevation. On the interior, the space is divided into an entrance vestibule, classrooms, offices, and a large mechanical room in the basement.
According to the construction drawings for the 1958 addition, the 1938 wing was left intact with little or no alterations. However, several significant changes were made to the 1903 portion of the building. On the exterior, the stone foundation was encapsulated in concrete and the steps to the tower entrance removed. The cornice was replaced and the roofline simplified. Louvers were installed in the attic vents. The tower roof was removed and replaced with a built-up roof deck, a new crenellated brick parapet, capped with cast concrete, and new metal steeple. New cast concrete panels replaced the original upper tower windows. A chapel annex (quiet room) was added to the chapel’s east elevation. The gothic windows on the west elevation were replaced with steel-sash versions of the same design. The wood sash of south elevation window and transom was left intact, however, the original stained glass was replaced with a blue-green, marble-patterned milk glass. On the interior, the changes were even more significant. All original finishes and furnishings in the chapel were removed. A new podium was built at the south end changing the orientation of the congregation and new pews were installed. The new design was modern, with simple lines and light, tan-colored woodwork.
About 1970, the stained-glass window and tower entrance were bricked-in, probably due to the difficulty of replacing broken glass. The aluminum soffits around the entire perimeter of the building were installed in the 1980s. A more major alteration was the replacement of the wood doors on all main elevations with glass and aluminum (probably 1970s or 1980s). Metal stairs were added to the west (supported by wing walls) and north elevations for additional egress from the second floor, and necessitated converting two windows into doors. When the property was sold in 1994, church officials had the steeple removed before transferring the deed. The building was used as a preschool between 1994 and 2000. Alterations made during this phase included the removal of pews and from the chapel space and the demolition of the stage area in the recreation hall. The steep stairs to the projection room were removed at an unknown date.
Between January and September 2001, the building was rehabilitated for use as a reception center. Alterations to the exterior were minor. Most were designed to restore the historic integrity of the building. The window-blocking brickwork from the south elevation was removed and a new stained glass window was installed in the original wood sash. Stained glass was also installed in several panes of the gothic windows on the west elevation, and the windows on the tower. The original entry doors in the tower were rehabilitated. New wood doors (designed with six panels similar to the tower doors) were installed on the south and west elevation entrances. All brick, sandstone and concrete was cleaned and repaired. The exterior metal stairs were removed. A new glass entrance was created on the north elevation where the original stage entrance and loading doors were located. Handicap access ramps were created on the south and north elevation, and also at a new basement entrance in the southwest corner of the building. A new cast concrete balustrade was created for the tower balcony and the southeast entrance. The exterior work has restored many of the lost historic features of the building.
On the interior, all 1958 and subsequent finishes were removed. The chapel and recreation hall were rehabilitated for use as reception hall (west and east halls respectively). The west hall (chapel) and annex rooms were given new paint, carpet and contrasting woodwork in the Victorian Eclectic style. A new staircase (designed with a lathe-turn balustrade similar in style to the original 1903 podium) was built at the north end. The east hall (recreation hall) is simpler in design with a rough stucco finish and a hanging lattice of flowers under the ceiling. Alterations to this area include partition walls at the south end and a new staircase on the west wall. The south foyer staircase (1938) was also rebuilt with a marble and wood mantelpiece installed in the foyer area. The west foyer was left intact with new finishes. A chair lift was installed in the corridor. The existing kitchen and bathrooms were upgraded. Existing classrooms were converted to bride’s rooms, office space and meeting rooms. The basement was refinished for use as meeting rooms, storage and a floral shop. All interior work was sensitive to and compatible with the original historic features of the building while addressing issues such as code compliance, egress, access and a new community-based usage.
The building faces south on a one-acre parcel of land. An additional parcel is used for parking to the east. A third parcel (to the north and east) was recently acquired by the current owner and will also be used for parking. A small brick utility shed (non-contributing circa 1980) sits on the northeast corner of the original parcel. The property is on the corner of 300 North and 200 West, with sidewalks and grassy parking strips along the streets. There are mature trees on all the landscaped portions of the property with sidewalks leading to the primary entrances. A number of shrubs and other plants are located at the base of the building. Exterior lighting, stone retaining walls and patio space was part of the landscape upgrades included in the adaptive reuse. The property is located in a hilly residential neighborhood just north of American Fork’s historic downtown. There is a mix of housing stock ranging from early adobe settlement homes (1870s & 1880s) to very recent residential construction. The American Fork Third Ward is in excellent condition and is a contributing historic resource of the neighborhood.
The Perry and Agnes Fitzgerald House, a brick Victorian-style cross-wing, was built circa 1870. It is significant for its association with the development of Draper from the pioneer era to the first half of the twentieth century and likely the oldest surviving brick house in Draper.
The house is an excellent example of pioneer craftsmanship in the former agricultural outpost. Perry Fitzgerald was among the first settlers in Draper. He helped built the first fort in Salt Lake City and supported his family by farming, raising cattle and sheep, and by breeding horses. Of his three wives, the brick house is most closely associated with his third wife, Agnes Wadsworth Fitzgerald. Perry and Agnes Fitzgerald had thirteen children. The majority of these children remained in Draper and became prominent citizens. The home remained in the Fitzgerald family hands until it was sold to Draper City in 1999. The house retains remarkable historic architectural integrity and contributes to the historic resources of Draper, Utah.
The home is located in Draper Pioneer Square at 1160 East Pioneer Road in Draper, Utah and was added to the National Register of Historic Places (#04000404) on May 6th, 2004.
Narrative Statement of Significance
The Perry and Agnes Fitzgerald House, a brick Victorian-style crosswing, built circa 1870, is significant under Criterion A for its association with the development of Draper from the pioneer era to the first half of the twentieth century. It is also significant under Criterion C as the oldest surviving brick house in Draper and an excellent example of pioneer craftsmanship in the former agricultural outpost. The house is eligible under the Multiple Property Listing, Historic Resources of Draper, 1848-1954. The primary associated historic context is the “Early Settlement Period, 1848-1876.” Perry Fitzgerald was among the first settlers in Draper. Of his three wives, the brick house is most closely associated with his third wife, Agnes Wadsworth Fitzgerald. Perry and Agnes Fitzgerald had thirteen children. The majority of these children remained in Draper and became prominent citizens. The house retains remarkable historic integrity. The Fitzgerald House contributes to the historic resources of Draper, Utah.
History of the Perry and Agnes Wadsworth Fitzgerald House
Perry Fitzgerald was born in Fayette County, Pennsylvania on December 22, 1815. When he was about 20 years old, he moved to Vermillion, Illinois, where he met and married Mary Ann Casot in 1839. Mary Ann was born in Kentucky on September 30, 1821. In 1842 the couple became members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon Church). They moved to Nauvoo where the church had its headquarters. When the church members began their exodus from Nauvoo to the Salt Lake valley, Perry Fitzgerald was chosen by church leader Brigham Young to serve as a guide in the first pioneer company. Perry left Mary Ann and his oldest son, John, to follow with the main body of the church. Two other sons had died from cholera.
Perry Fitzgerald helped to build the first fort in Salt Lake City. After the family was reunited, they moved from Salt Lake to the Millcreek area, ten miles south and east of Salt Lake City where they spent two winters. Two more sons, Manesseh, and Perry Jr., were born there. The family is listed on the 1850 census in Draper, a settlement at the southeast end of the valley known as Willow Creek. Mary Ann Fitzgerald died on April 19, 1851, probably in Millcreek, Utah. Elizabeth Shipley took the boys to care for at her home in Draper. Family tradition states that, after Mary Ann’s death, Perry Fitzgerald moved permanently to Draper. He built a three-room log cabin on the north banks of the Willow Creek and homesteaded a parcel of farmland in the area between what is now 12400 South and 13100 South. In late 1851, Perry Fitzgerald married Ann Wilson (the exact date is unknown). Ann Wilson was born in England on November 10, 1812. Ann Fitzgerald had two daughters, Mary Ann (born in 1852 and probably named for Mary Ann Casot) and Alfreda (born in 1854).
Around 1852, Agnes Wadsworth, a young convert to the LDS Church, moved to Draper and worked as a nanny in the Fitzgerald home. Agnes Wadsworth was born in Manchester, England on July 30, 1836. Perry Fitzgerald married Agnes Wadsworth on March 21,1853, within the then church-sanctioned system of polygamy. Agnes Fitzgerald bore thirteen children between 1854 and 1879, and remarkably for the time period, all lived to maturity, married and had children of their own. Indeed, Agnes was considered to have some healing powers in the community, due to the fact that her children survived several epidemics. During the late 1850s, Perry Fitzgerald and his son John, assumed military duties during the Utah War and the Walker Indian War. The Fitzgerald household is all under one roof, the log cabin, on the 1860 census enumeration. The log cabin had three rooms, a loft and a fire pit. After a particularly fierce storm in the early 1860s, the cabin was flooded by the creek and moved to higher ground close to where the brick house would be located. The log cabin later was used as a barn and outbuilding. According to various sources, Perry Fitzgerald built the brick house either during or just after the Civil War. The family claims it was the first brick home built south of Midvale. While this claim is uncertain, the Fitzgerald house is one of the oldest surviving brick homes in Draper.
Perry Fitzgerald supported his large family by farming and raising cattle and sheep. He was also a horse breeder. He had a large holding that required hired hands (two are listed on the 1860 and 1870 census enumerations) as well as his grown sons. The 1870 census enumeration taken in September records Perry, Agnes and her children in the household Ann Wilson Fitzgerald and her teenage daughters do not appear in the census records, and it is unclear whether Ann had her own dwelling by the time the brick house was built. If not, she lived in the brick house only for a few years. She died on November 21, 1870, in Draper. Agnes Fitzgerald’s third son, born in 1864, was given Wilson as his middle name, so it is presumed the two wives had a good relationship.
Agnes Fitzgerald was associated with the house through most of her life and bore probably half her children in the home. The Fitzgerald home was known as a haven in the community. One evening, Orrin Porter Rockwell, a bodyguard to Brigham Young, rode to Draper pursued by a posse. Porter asked his friend Perry Fitzgerald to hide him, so Perry turned his back on Porter and pointed with his hand to a thicket where Porter could safely hide. Minutes later Perry Fitzgerald truthfully informed the posse that Porter had been there, but didn’t see which way he went. 3 Though Perry Fitzgerald was a faithful church attendee, many of his children were more relaxed and numerous young people in Draper would congregate at the Fitzgerald home on Sundays. One writer records “there were more wagons and horses at the Fitzgerald’s than at church. If Agnes would insist on taking all those who would come to her home and lead them down to church, it would fill the meeting house.”
After suffering from back pain for several years, Perry Fitzgerald died in his home on October 4,1889. The property was deeded to Agnes Wadsworth Fitzgerald in December 1889. She remained in the home with several of her children until her death on March 23, 1902. The estate was divided among her children and the house was eventually deeded to Royal T. Fitzgerald on June 8,1907. Royal Truth Fitzgerald was bom on October 28,1879. He was just shy often years old when his father died. Royal T. Fitzgerald married Alice Snow on December 10, 1902. Alice Snow was born in Draper on December 24, 1881. The couple lived in the Fitzgerald house their entire married life. The couple had one son and three daughters. Royal T. Fitzgerald continued to operate the family farmstead. Alice Snow Fitzgerald died on July 12, 1954. Royal died on December 1, 1971.
The property passed to Royal and Alice’s daughter, and then to her brother Royal Snow Fitzgerald in 1972. It was then sold to Royal Snow’s son and daughter in-law, R. Dale and Jolyn S. Fitzgerald. The family lived in California and used the old home as a rental property. The house was sold to the City of Draper in 1999. It has been sitting vacant since. Feasibility studies are currently underway to determine if the house can be rehabilitated for use as a restaurant.
Architecture
The Fitzgerald house is architecturally significant as a very early brick home in the south end of the Salt Lake Valley. In the mid-1860s, brick kilns were relatively rare, even in the more populous Salt Lake City, and most homes were built using adobe brick. 5 According to local histories, there were several adobe yards in Draper in the 1860s and 1870s, and numerous adobe and part-adobe homes are still standing. There is no record of the first brickyard, so it is likely the Fitzgerald bricks were hauled to Draper from Salt Lake City, to provide the exterior face of the house with adobe lining the inner walls. The hall-parlor configuration of the Fitzgerald further suggests a construction date in the 1870s. The roughly shaped brick and the common bond masonry also suggest an early construction period. However, some of the details such as the segmental relieving arches of brick and the lathe-turned posts may date from the 1870s. One possible contemporary of the Fitzgerald house is the Andrew and Harriet Burnham house at 12735 South Fort Street. The Burnham house is a central-passage house constructed of brick facing with an adobe lining. The Burnham house has been modified somewhat on the interior and exterior. Another is the Lauritz Smith house at 1230 Pioneer Road was also built around the same time. It is a brick saltbox with Greek Revival details.
The Fitzgerald house is more of a transitional house than either the Burnham or Smith houses. During the 1860s and 1870s, the most common house types were classically styled one-story adobe dwellings with vernacular Greek-Revival details. The same was true in communities throughout the Salt Lake Valley. Though there were several brick kilns in operation, fired brick residences became ubiquitous only in the 1880s. The early brick houses of Draper represent a measure of early prosperity in the isolated community. The Fitzgerald house combines an early and basic brick masonry tradition with the more sophisticated Victorian details found primarily on houses near the more urbanized Salt Lake City in the 1860s and 1870s.
If the Fitzgerald house cannot lay legitimate claim to being the oldest brick house in Draper, it is certainly the best preserved. With the exception of the newer roofing and siding on the rear addition, the house maintains a near pristine integrity. Architectural features such as the Victorian porch details are rare in homes of the period. Most remarkable are the interiors of the front rooms, which have not been altered, and including extant plaster moldings and Mormon oak finishes. The proposed rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the Fitzgerald house, thereby opening it to the general public, will be a significant contribution of the historic resources of Draper.
Narrative Description
The Perry and Agnes Fitzgerald House, is a one-story brick crosswing, built circa 1870. The house is classically styled with Victorian Eclectic details. The crosswing house appears as a hall parlor on the fa9ade (north elevation). It also has a small rear addition (circa 1915). The residence sits on a foundation of coursed granite rubble. The roof is covered with composition shingles (circa 1980). The house faces north and is located at 1144 East Pioneer Road (12400 South) in Draper, Utah. The original 6.91-acre parcel was once a large farmstead with numerous outbuildings, including a circa 1850 log cabin. The log cabin was moved from the property to the Draper City Park, and the rest of the outbuildings were demolished in the 1980s. The City of Draper currently owns the land and a new library branch will be built at the rear of the property. Feasibility studies are being conducted on the house to determine if the house can be preserved and rehabilitated for use as a restaurant. If feasible, the house will be rehabilitated using the federal rehabilitation tax credit project. The project is tentatively scheduled for completion in late 2004.
Family tradition suggests that the home was constructed just after the Civil War, but some elements of the house such as the segmental arched windows, and Eastlake-style trim more-likely date the house from the 1870s. The red brick masonry, which is laid in American or common bond with headers every seventh course, is consistent throughout the structure and appears to have been built as a single unit. However, each elevation is distinct. The facade (north elevation) appears similar to a symmetric hall-parlor with a main door flanked by windows. The ridge is parallel to the street with brick chimneys at either end. A small concrete porch (probably circa 1915) projects from the front door. It has a hipped roof supported by lathe-turned posts with decorative brackets. The porch trim and balustrade is original and painted a light yellow. The cornice boards are also painted yellow. They are fairly plain and narrow with a single bead. The windows are two-over-two double-hung windows in a wood sash. The windows feature segmental relieving arches of rowlock brick and stone sills with a decorative inset under the arch. All windows on the home are currently boarded up. Some glass has been broken, but most window features are intact.
The crosswing is visible on the west elevation. The elevation features a recessed porch with trim similar to the front porch. The porch deck is mainly concrete with rubble stone at the foundation level. Concrete steps were poured and block lines on the concrete were scored probably around 1915. The porch shelters the west entrance and one window. Another window is located in the west end of the north wing. The brick masonry is built to the apex of the gable at both ends of this wing. On the east elevation, the masonry continues to the rear to form an original lean-to making the footprint of the original house roughly square. There are three windows, one in the front wing and two in the lean-to, on this elevation. The rear windows have flat wood lintel rather than relieving arches.
The rear (south) elevation is partially obscured by a rear addition to the west, built circa 1915. This addition is a simple gable structure of frame and siding on a brick and concrete foundation. The addition sits four feet above grade on the slightly sloping site and appears to have been part of an original root cellar. Part of the foundation has been compromised with a large hole at the southeast corner. The addition was originally covered in drop siding and later covered with rust-colored aluminum siding, probably in the 1960s. The structure features a small aluminum window (circa 1960) on each of the three elevations. There are doors on the west and east elevations. No steps are extant, and were perhaps demolished at the same time an attached utility shed on the south elevation was demolished (sometime after 1996). On the south elevation of the original house, the foundation is covered with scored cement. There is a large patch of stucco on the rear elevation, probably a repair although the exact reason is unknown.
On the interior, the house is laid out as a typical crosswing. The north portion is divided into a living room and a parlor. Many original features of the interior are intact. The nine-foot ceilings have not been lowered. There are decorative plaster features on the molding and in the center of the largest room. The faux oak finish (locally called Mormon oak) on the baseboards and window casings is original. Most of the wallpaper is at least fifty years old. Unfortunately, there has been some damage by vandals, including damage to the original four-panel front door. The crosswing is one large room with some built-in cabinetry (probably 1920s or 1930s). There are two small bedrooms to the east (in the lean-to). To the rear, the addition houses a kitchen and bathroom.
As noted previously, there is very little remaining of the original landscape for the 6.91-acre parcel. The outbuildings have all been removed or demolished. The most significant of the outbuildings was a circa 1850 log cabin, the first home of the Perry Fitzgerald family in Draper. The three-room log cabin was disassembled (circa 1980) and reassembled in the Draper City Park (circa 1990). Other outbuildings included a barn (circa 1880), a brick granary (circa 1880) and a Butler-type round metal silo (circa 1940). The farmland around the house has been graded for the construction of a new library. Only a few mature elm trees are left near Pioneer Road and the house. With the exception of some vines near the front porch, no other landscaping remains. There are remnants of concrete sidewalk around the house.
The house sits just off Pioneer Road in Draper not far from where the railroad crosses the street. The house is just east of the Draper City center. To the southeast is the Willow Creek stream and the city park where the log cabin is located. The Pioneer Road area is a mix of Victorian and twentieth-century residences, industrial plants, and the new Draper municipal building. The library complex and a rehabilitated Fitzgerald house are part of planned economic development in the area. The Perry and Agnes Fitzgerald house retains its historic integrity and contributes to the historic resources of Draper.
Designed by Philip Meyer, a native of Germany and a nephew of local retail magnate Frederick Auerbach, the B’nai Israel Temple was constructed in 1890-91. Henry Monheim, a local architect, supervised the construction. It is one of the few remaining structures built by Utah’s early pioneer Jews and reflects their importance in the development of the economy, government, and educational institutions of the state. The design of this Romanesque Revival style building was reportedly based on the Fasanenstrasse Synagogue, a famous Jewish temple in Berlin. While the main elevation is rusticated Kyune sandstone, the side walls and the drum beneath the dome are brick.
The Congregation B’nai Israel was organized in 1881 and built a small synagogue in 1883 at First West and Third South. Following a division in the synagogue, the orthodox Congregation Montefiore built a new synagogue at 355 South Third East, and the reform B’nai Israel congregation built this temple. It was sold in the early 1970’s when a new temple was built for combined local Jewish congregations. It has since housed several commercial enterprises including a restaurant and offices.
Ross Hame, also known as the historic William Harvey and Sarah Seegmiller Ross House, was constructed 1922-1923. William Harvey Ross was president of the Gunnison Valley Sugar Company and a business partner to famed chewing gum industrialist William Wrigley, Jr.
Ross Hame and its grounds are locally significant as they represent a rare collaboration between three important Utah architects, namely Walter Ware, Alberto Treganza, and Georgius Cannon. Ross Hame was designed during the final year of Ware and Treganza’s eighteen-year partnership and was a project its architects were particularly proud of as evidenced by their submittal of the home’s plan to a 1924 exhibition in Los Angeles sponsored by the American Institute of Architects. Although such estates continue to shape Holladay’s twenty-first century identity, very few of Holladay’s first-generation estates have survived excessive alteration or outright demolition and even fewer have retained much of their historic landscape. In the case of Ross Hame, however, the house, its adjacent stable/caretaker’s cottage, and much of its landscape convey the original intent of their designers, and grants the passerby a rare glimpse into Holladay’s rural past which contrasts greatly with the city’s twenty-first-century redevelopment.
Located at 4769 S Holladay Blvd in Holladay, Utah and listed on the National Historic Register (#100002703) July 23, 2018.
Constructed in 1914 by the community. The wood frame hall contains a gymnasium, stage, kitchen and basement. As a community recreation center, the hall was used for dances, plays, basketball games, programs, and movies. It served as the annual meeting place for the Koosharem Old Folks Party, a well-known traditional town reunion.
The Weber County Main Library in Ogden, Utah, is significant at the local level under Criterion A for its association with events that have made a significant contribution to the history of Weber County, Utah, in the area of Education, as the first public library serving the consolidated city and county library system in Weber County, Utah, and under Criterion C in the area of Architecture as a building that embodies the distinctive characteristics of its historic period. The library’s period of significance is 1968, when it was constructed. The building reflected, on the local level in Weber County, a growing national emphasis on the construction of public libraries. The library also represents a high-style example of New Formalism in Utah and incorporates early elements of Brutalism. As a result, the Weber County Main Library is significant under both Criteria A and C at the local level.
Located at 2464 Jefferson Avenue in Ogden, Utah and added to the National Historic Register (#100004395) September 13, 2019.
The Weber County Main Library is significant under Criterion A in the area of Education because of its role as the first and, for a period, only) public library serving the consolidated city and county library system in Weber County, Utah. The library, which replaced Ogden’s Carnegie Library (the first public library in the city), was designed to serve the growing community and to unify the city and county library systems to serve a broader geographic area than the individual systems could. The library, which received federal grant funding under the Library Services Act of 1956 and the Library Services and Construction Act of 1964, as well as support from local taxes and bonds, is also representative of how the national push to build public libraries during the mid-twentieth century played out at the local level in Weber County, Utah. As a result, the Weber County Main Library represents an important point in the history of education within Weber County.
The period of significance for the Weber County Main Library is 1968, the year it was built. However, to provide necessary background information, the context begins in 1892 with the initial establishment of a public library in Ogden.
Ogden Carnegie Free Library (1892–1961) Ogden has a long history of leadership in Utah in the area of public libraries. In 1864 the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Utah formed the Ogden Library Board, which was supported by Ogden’s citizens and local businesses because the territory’s laws did not allow local governments to levy taxes to support public libraries (Weber County Library 1964-1969, 1892-1903, 1894-1894-1897, 1895, 1901, 1903, 1904-1930). The Ogden City Library Society, which took over fundraising and organizing for the proposed library, struggled for support and even a permanent location to keep the books. Although the society worked to increase public interest in their fledgling library and offered access to the collection, it continued to struggle through the 1860s and 1870s, and no records exist about it after 1876 (Hunter 1966:500-510)
The next attempt to establish a public library was made by the Ogden Public Library Association, which established a free library and reading room in 1892 (Stauffer 2007:391). This pattern of local support for libraries continued into the twentieth century. In 1901, W. L. Maginnis, Minnie Kiesel, and the Reverend E. L. Goshen sent a letter to Andrew Carnegie requesting financial assistance to build a permanent library in Ogden (Weber County Library n.d. [ca. 1980s]:2; Stauffer 2007:392). Carnegie offered $25,000 toward the library if “the city would arrange an annual maintenance fund of ten percent of that amount and furnish a suitable site.” The city agreed to Carnegie’s offer, and the new library was completed in 1903 at the corner of 26th Street and Washington Boulevard (Weber County Library n.d. [ca. 1980s]:2). It was the first of 23 Carnegie libraries to be built in Utah and was the first building in Utah to be used exclusively as a library (Jones 1997; Work Projects Administration 1941:208).
The Ogden Carnegie Free Library served the region for more than 60 years, by which time the collections had outgrown the space and the building required extensive repairs (Friends of Weber County Library 1998a:13; Marchant 1998:8). In 1960, the Junior League of Ogden sponsored a questionnaire regarding library service satisfaction and found that 60 percent of respondents wanted to expand the existing building. In 1961, a proposal to use sales tax revenue to build an extension to the library was considered but was never approved (Friends of Weber County Library 1998b:13).
Preparing for a County Library, 1962–1965 In 1962, a plan to create a consolidated city and county library system was introduced to the Ogden City Council, which led to discussions about updating Utah’s library laws and building a new library that could serve the significantly larger local population (Friends of Weber County Library 1998b:14). This consolidated city and county library system would increase the geographic area served by the library. The Weber County Main Library was the first planned library for what was intended to be a much wider-reaching library system. In June, Mrs. Paul (Cissy) Seeger, president of the library’s Board of Directors, requested funds from the Ogden City Council to retain an architect for preliminary design of a new main library large enough to serve the area for 20 years (Friends of Weber County Library 1998b:14). In August, the County agreed to build the new library after the City Council approved the request (Friends of Weber County Library 1998b:14). “After interviewing every architect in Weber County,” the board selected John Piers, an Ogden architect, to prepare the plans for the new library (Friends of Weber County Library 1998b:14).
Also in 1962, the board established the Friends of the Library organization. With Frank M. Browning, a state senator and founder of the Bank of Utah as its first president, the Friends were instrumental in supporting the library and shepherding the design and construction of the new building to completion (Marchant 1998:8–9). Importantly, in 1963, Browning successfully co-sponsored a bill in the Utah legislature that changed state laws to allow for the creation of countywide library systems and the levy of a countywide tax to pay for library operations (Friends of Weber County Library 1998b:14–15).
Initial plans for the new library called for constructing it on the site of the existing Carnegie Library; because the parcel was already owned by the library, its reuse would considerably reduce the project expense. Due to a lack of adequate parking at that location, however, two alternative locations were proposed: in Lester Park or on 25th Street between Kiesel and Grant Avenues (Friends of Weber County Library 1998b:15). Ultimately, the board approved the initial plan, and Piers presented the specifications for a proposed $1.15 million library on the Carnegie site in December 1963 (Friends of Weber County Library 1998a:15–16). In the same month, the Weber County Commissioners and the Ogden City Council adopted a motion that the new library be a countywide facility with its construction financed through a county bond issue (Friends of Weber County Library 1998b:14). The $1.5 million bond was approved by voters on December 8, 1964, although there was some opposition from voters in rural areas and in Roy, Utah (Ogden Standard-Examiner 1964a).
A major source of opposition came from two new county commissioners who were elected in November 1963: Maurice Richards and Bud Favero. The two men called a meeting with Maurice Marchant, then the Carnegie Library director, and informed him that $1.5 million was too much to spend on a library and that no architect would be needed because Richards “had a friend in the construction business who could design and build it” (Marchant 1998:10). Richards and Favero thought the library could be built for one third of the $1.5 million and that the remaining money could be used for other projects, such as a quarter horse racing facility (Marchant 1998:10). Without consulting the city library board, the commissioners also announced their intention of changing the location of the new library and converting the Carnegie Library into a pioneer museum (Marchant 1998:10).
The location disagreement would drag into 1965 with suggestions for a variety of solutions, such as building the library on “25th Street across from the federal building or combining it with a public safety building” (Marchant 1998:11). As a compromise, the Ogden City Council recommended building the new library in Lester Park and, in July 1965, the county commissioners approved that location. Lester Park, originally known as Liberty Square, had been set aside for public use when the original Ogden city grid was platted; it appears on maps as early as 1875. The park encompasses the entire block bounded by 24th Street to the north, Madison Avenue to the east, 25th Street to the south, and Jefferson Avenue to the west. The park was in the midst of a residential area, with the highest housing density located to the west of Jefferson Avenue. In fact, the chief objection to the Lester Park location had been its residential nature and its removal from the heavy pedestrian traffic of the downtown area, where many users combined visits to the Carnegie Library with work and shopping (Marchant 1998:9).
The park site was finally chosen, but the dispute and the actions of the county commissioners had proven so contentious that Marchant resigned from his position as city and county library director in June 1965. He was replaced by Guy Schuurman, a Salt Lake City resident who had been working for the Utah State Library (R.L. Polk & Co. 1965:742). Schuurman was born in the Netherlands in 1931 and emigrated to the United States in 1949, receiving an undergraduate degree from the University of Utah and a “master of librarianship” from the University of Washington in 1961 (Ogden Standard-Examiner 1971). He served as Weber County Library director until 1971, when he became the director of the Salt Lake County Library System, a position he held until his retirement in 1987. Schuurman was likely a good fit: during his career, he was remembered as “exuberant” and was described as a visionary and a motivator who “could sell ice to an Eskimo,” a skill he may have needed to get the new library built (Deseret News 1989).
In 1965 or 1966, the city and county received a $243,000 federal grant to supplement the bond and help fund construction of the new library (Ogden Standard Examiner 1971). Two pieces of federal legislation played a significant role in the increase of public library construction in the 1960s: the Library Services Act of 1956 (LSA) and the Library Services and Construction Act of 1964 (LSCA). The LSA, signed into law by President Eisenhower, provided the opportunity to expand library services to areas that had limited or no public library access, which accounted for nearly 76 million rural residents in the United States (Fry 1975:7–9). The LSA was to provide $7.5 million annually for “the extension and improvement of rural public library service” (Fry 1975:10). In 1960, the LSA was extended until 1966 (Fry 1975:14). In 1963, “President Kennedy sent to Congress a special education message” which recommended an amendment to the LSA to authorize “a three-year program of grants for urban as well as rural libraries and for construction as well as operation” (Fry 1975:14–15). The bill, which would become LSCA, was signed into law by President Johnson in 1964 and was designed to expire June 30, 1966 (Fry 1975:16). The LSCA would provide funding “to include construction of new buildings; expansion, remodeling and alteration of existing buildings; initial equipment; and architects’ fees and land acquisition costs” (Fry 1975:16). Both the LSA and the LSCA provided the push to increase access to libraries and were considered a success by many in Congress.
Another public library that was built to accommodate a growing population was the Salt Lake City Main Library. The library was completed in 1964, but planning of the new building began in 1960 (URS Corporation 2007:3–4). While the project did not receive funding under the LSA, the library was built in much of the same spirit as the Weber County Main Library would be several years later, and is similar in massing, architectural style, and interior open space. In addition, the design for both structures appears to have been influenced by the existing library planning concepts and literature produced by the American Library Association.
Post Construction Period, 1968–present On March 4, 1968, the new Weber County Public Library opened its doors to the public; it was dedicated on April 4, 1968 (Ogden Standard-Examiner 1968). The library was given an award “for its striking use of brickwork” by the Utah Bricklayers and Masons Association (Ogden Standard-Examiner 1968). A few early changes were made to the interior, including the addition of light fixtures that descended from the ceiling and the construction of a glass-and-metal partition wall between the foyer and the south reading room. And unfortunately, despite the involvement of professional librarians and consultants in the design of the library and the use of American Library Association standards, the organization and shelving of materials has long been a problem. “Materials were shifted many times during the late 1960s and early 1970s, then the staff finally gave up and left things as they were” (Wangsgard 1996:14).
The original vision for a Weber County-wide library system had included the construction of branch libraries, which would replace the Bookmobile program currently in use. These were slow in coming and funding was a perpetual issue, not only to construct the buildings but to fund operations and collections acquisition (Petterson and Burton 2001). The existing historical collection from the original Carnegie Free Library served as an important core of the new county-wide system (the first such system in Utah) (Weber County Library 1964-1969, 1892-1903, 1894-1894-1897, 1895, 1901, 1903, 1904-1930).
Eventually, the Weber County Public Library system added four new branches: the first was the Southwest Branch in Roy (1976), and the second was the North Branch in North Ogden City (1983). However, “The opening of a second branch library, without an appropriate adjustment in the tax rate to support operational costs, caused an almost total collapse of the Weber County Library System” in 1984 (Petterson and Burton 2001:3).
To make matters worse, the consistent neglect of the infrastructure at the Main Library, now sixteen years old, left the facility severely compromised and in need of major repairs to the roof, heating and cooling systems, sewer system, and elevators. Carpeting was worn through to the cement floor, ceilings were streaked with soot from lack of money to purchase air-stream filters, and the front doors no longer closed properly because they had been worn off their hinges. (Patterson and Burton 2001:3)
The Library Board considered closing the library temporarily but instead hired a new director, created a detailed financial plan, and conducted an internal audit; the county commissioners also granted a modest tax increase in 1985. This allowed for maintenance and repairs at the Main Library (including carpet replacement, the installation of automatic doors at the main entrance, and upgrades to the cooling system) and brought a return to financial stability, but provided no means to construct additional branch libraries (Piers at el. 1966; Petterson and Burton 2001:3). A tax rate adjustment in 1993 allowed for construction of the Ogden Valley branch in 1995 on a site donated by the town of Huntsville, and “the new funding was also stretched to refurbish the Main Library and the North and Southwest branches” (Petterson and Burton 2001:4).
Despite improvements and the addition of branch facilities, in 1996 the library director estimated that the main library contained 50,000 more items than it was designed to hold (Wangsgard 1996:13). In 2001, a $22 million bond to upgrade the existing libraries and build two additional branches was proposed but defeated. Another tax rate adjustment, combined with fundraising efforts and a land donation, allowed for construction of the Pleasant Valley Branch in 2009 (Weber County Library System 2014). This was followed by a $45 million bond proposal to upgrade and further expand the county library system, which was approved by voters in 2013. The bond was used to fund major renovations to the Main Library from 2014 to 2018 (Salt Lake Tribune 2013). As part of the work, a historic preservation plan was developed to guide rehabilitation work at the library, ensuring that its character-defining historic features were retained while allowing for important upgrades and improvements.
Criterion C: Architecture
The Weber County Main Library is significant under Criterion C at the local level in the area of Architecture as a building that embodies the distinctive characteristics of its historic period. The building is a high-style example of New Formalism, and its construction occurred during a period of increasing urban construction in the state that reflected mid-century modern architectural trends (Huffaker 2007:2). The Weber County Main Library comfortably fits into this stylistic period, but it also represents a sophisticated and up-to-date library design based on national architectural trends and thought, putting it in contrast with the comparatively unsophisticated mid-century modern buildings built in Utah during the preceding decades (Goss 1975:236).
During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Utah experienced an economic recession. As a result, little new construction of large buildings occurred. One of the first buildings to be built after the recession was the Salt Lake City Main Library, constructed from 1962 to 1964. The library building was intended to spur new construction in the city and to inspire Salt Lake City’s residents. The Salt Lake City Main Library was progressive in Utah as its first example of New Formalism (Huffaker 2007:1–2).
The introduction of New Formalism to Utah and its use in the Salt Lake City Main Library represented a significant change in the state’s architectural trends. Although buildings in mid-century modern styles were certainly being built in Utah after World War II, the designs were often lackluster. “Even after World War II the new designs of the late 1940s and early 1950s were pale imitations of the sources that inspired them, and this continued to occur even as late as the 1960s, despite the fact that many buildings reflect a desire on the part of the design profession to keep abreast of styles in other parts of the country” (Goss 1975:236). This was the result of several factors: the economic recession, the stylistic preferences of in-state designers, and the lack of competition with out-of-state architects to stimulate better design (Goss 1975:236). The design of the Salt Lake City Main Library represented one of the first serious efforts to fully express national architectural trends (Huffaker 2007:2).
Based in part on its successful use for the Salt Lake City Main Library in 1962 to 1964, the New Formalist style quickly became popular in Utah. Numerous examples of New Formalist buildings in Utah date to the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s. The Weber County Main Library is an example of a building originating in that trend and is particularly significant because it was designed by a native Utahn, John Piers. Piers made a distinct effort to collaborate with architects and design teams outside of the state and to incorporate national architectural trends into his design. In the case of the Weber County Main Library, this included working with Galvin-Van Buren Associates, a design team based out of North Carolina that specialized in libraries, and traveling to Chicago to learn about library design (Galvin and Van Buren 1959; Friends of Weber County Library 1998b:15).
John L. Piers (1922–1997) was born on May 11, 1922, in Ogden, Utah, to Eber Francis and Mary Rae Keck Piers (Deseret News 1997). He attended Weber State College and the University of Utah, and served in the Navy Air Corps during World War II. After the war, he lived in Los Angeles, California (Deseret News 1997; Ogden Standard-Examiner 2005). While there, Piers earned degrees in business administration and architecture from the University of Southern California. In 1952, he returned to Ogden to practice architecture with his father, Eber Piers (1889–1961), a well-known local architect and inventor.
John Piers would have learned a great deal about architectural design and practice from his father, but he was also a formally trained architect of the modern kind, a member of the American Institute of Architecture who worked in Utah for 35 years. He had “a special interest in education and developed innovative and progressive designs for primary and secondary schools in Utah and Wyoming,” including the Weber High School (Deseret News 1997). In addition, Piers designed numerous commercial and institutional buildings, among them St. Benedict’s Hospital (now Ogden Regional Medical Center) (Deseret News 1997). After retiring, Piers and his wife moved to St. George, Utah, where they lived until Piers’ death in 1987 (Deseret News 1997; Ogden Standard-Examiner 2005).
When the first building was designed for the Carnegie Library site, then-library director Marchant recalled: “We wrote a program to give direction to John [Piers]’s work, relying on the [American Library Association] public library standards for much of our information. It contained standards for such factors as minimum seating and collection size” (Marchant 1998:9). The Ogden City Council also obligated funds in 1963 to send Piers and one member of the Library Board to Chicago, where they visited a “library building institute” and attended a design conference (Friends of Weber County Library 1998b:15).
In 1965, when the Lester Park site was approved, Piers created an entirely new design to take advantage of the larger space. Preliminary plans were unanimously approved by the Weber County commissioners in February 1966.
The three commissioners called the preparatory work by the board building committee and architect John Piers, an “outstanding job.” Their sentiments were echoed by Russell Davis, director of the Utah State Library, who said today that the physical plant as envisioned in the schematic drawings will be the best in the state.
“Complete flexibility is built into the building so if library services are modified from present ideas the building will not restrict them. Also, the whole approach of the design by Mr. Piers is patron-oriented. The interest and concern of the building is for the library user and not just for the librarian or staff,” Mr. Davis said.
In the architect’s opinion, the new facility should provide all necessary uses for about 30 years before expansion will be required. It will be exceptionally attractive with the roof and first floor spanning 80 feet without any columns. This type [of] construction is made possible by a pre-cast method. The roof is designed with a slight upward curving that also is reflected in the rounded walls, according to the architect, and there is a continuous plane from ceiling to the eaves. (Friends of Weber County Library 1998a:14)
Assisting John Piers in the new design were Donald W. Mathewson, associate architect, and Kenneth E. Hasenoehrl, associate. Mathewson earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah where, in 1959, he wrote a thesis titled “A Central Public Library for Ogden, Utah, with Facilities for Serving County and Region.” The thesis provides evidence that a new county library had been under discussion for a number of years before the proposal was presented to the City Council in 1962. Mathewson acknowledges Maurice Marchant and his predecessor, librarian Therma Scoville, for their assistance, and goes on to provide a description of the deficiencies of the Carnegie Library, a consideration of various sites (he too favored the Carnegie Library site), and a discussion of the programming and design features important in a modern public library. He concludes with drawings for a library that are stylistically similar to the 1963 design proposed by Piers, and he was no doubt hired by Piers because of his undergraduate work.
Ken Hasenoehrl attended the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho, where he was awarded a $30 second place prize in a student design competition (Spokane Daily Chronicle, June 1, 1955).
The structural engineer for the project was Edmund W. Allen (Piers et al. 1966), who graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in civil engineering in 1952. His firm went on to participate in the design of many prominent buildings in state, including the Matheson Courthouse in Salt Lake City and the seismic base isolation system for the Utah State Capitol, the first of its kind in the United States. He is only one of 20 graduates to receive the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Utah’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (University of Utah 2014). Edward T. Case provided mechanical and structural engineering services.
Piers also worked with the library consulting team of Galvin-Van Buren Associates, who were based out of Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1959, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) published a manual written by Hoyt Galvin, Director of Libraries, Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenberg County, and Martin Van Buren, an “interior architect,” on the design and construction of the small library, written in general terms so that it could be applied internationally and published in three languages (Galvin and Van Buren 1959). The pair collaborated on numerous modern public library designs throughout the United States in the 1960s and 1970s.
The result of this collaboration was a building based on the architectural principles of New Formalism. Architectural historians and theorists have yet to agree upon the stylistic terminology for the multitude of movements following the post–World War II hegemony of Modernism and its heralded “death” in 1959. Indeed, “architectural movements are complex affairs, part stylistic and part ideological, part unconscious practice and part conscious convention, and any transition from one era to another is bound to be a flowing thing, an evolution, fast or slow” (Jencks 1980:6). But it is agreed that the mid-1960s began an era of pluralism (or ended an era of Modernist prohibitionism) that continues to this day. In the later 1960s and 1970s, particular styles like Formalism and Brutalism are commonly recognized, and the library presents an interesting combination of these two styles.
New Formalism was popular from about 1960 to 1975 and is sometimes called “neo Palladianism;” it was applied mainly to public buildings such as banks, auditoriums, museums, and libraries.
The style represents yet another 20th century effort to enjoy the advantages of the past while adapting technology and popular features of the present. As such, New Formalist buildings embraced many Classical precedents such as building proportion and scale, classical columns and entablatures (which were highly stylized), and the use of a colonnade as a compositional device. However, in contrast, they used the newly discovered plastic-like qualities of concrete with the use of umbrella shells, waffle slabs and folded plates. . . Buildings designed in the New Formalism style have a carefully organized hierarchy of space, and an emphasis is placed on the structure or construction grid of the building. A single volume structure is preferred, and the buildings are often separated from nature by being set upon a raised podium or base. Many have an exotic “Near Eastern” flavor and exterior wall surfaces of cast stone, brick and marble can be found. New Formalist civic buildings. . . used grand axis and symmetry to achieve a monumentality to the structure. (Docomomo 2014)
The Weber County Main Library exhibits distinct elements of New Formalism, in particular its siting on a raised plinth, grand axis, simple rectangular volume, symmetry, adherence to a unitized construction grid, and plastic use of concrete for the eave. The building lacks the typical use of delicate columns and colonnades, however, its curved corners, recessed windows, and sweeping eave hint at the more massive, sculptural qualities typical of the early Brutalist buildings, in particular those designed by Le Corbusier (e.g., the Secretariat Building in Chandigarh, India [1953] and Notre Dame du Haut at Ronchamp, France [1954]).
The use of New Formalism for the Weber County Main Library places it within a stylistic trend in Utah during its period of construction in the 1960s. It represents the work of an important local architect, but unlike many earlier mid-century modern buildings in Utah, its appearance reflects the influence and full expression of national architectural trends. It utilizes the New Formalist style popular at the time, as well as elements of the Brutalist style that was just gaining popularity. While the library typifies the architectural trends of the time for public and institutional buildings in Utah, it also represents a particularly sophisticated attempt to incorporate new architectural styles and to use resources on the national level to create a building best suited to the needs of its patrons.
Exterior Description
The two-story, rectangular Weber County Main Library was built at the corner of 25th Street and Jefferson Avenue in downtown Ogden, Utah. The building is a public library built in the New Formalist style dating to 1968. The building measures 230 feet by 80 feet. The surrounding park provides an expanse of open lawn and mature trees to the north and east that is an important part of the view from the building interior. The building was constructed on a raised plinth defined by low concrete retaining walls on most sides and is strongly volumetric. The main entrance is located toward the north end of the long axis on the west side, and the building exterior is symmetrical around the north-south axis. A compatibly designed parking lot lies north of the building, and the original site design includes ramps and stairs, pebbled concrete sidewalks, a matching brick book depository and water tower enclosure, concrete benches, brick planter boxes, light standards with globe fixtures, and a flag pole. The service area is located at the northeast corner of the building and includes an approach ramp to the basement level, a concrete retaining wall, a metal fence, and loading dock. There are no other buildings on the property.
The Weber County Main Library is a west-facing, rectangular-plan public library; the building is in the style of New Formalism but also incorporates elements of Brutalism, which was still developing at the time of its construction. The building’s façade faces west. The exterior walls are built on a low, poured concrete foundation that is largely obscured by plantings. The walls themselves are clad in pale brown bricks laid in a vertical, stacked bond with recessed mortar joints of matching color. The bond creates a regular geometric pattern for the walls and enables the brick to “flow” around the curves of the wall. The result is a homogeneous surface that seems to organically sheath the building. The brick walls are divided into eight bays by narrow, vertical bands of recessed windows. A wider, recessed bay with entry doors on the main level and windows above defines the short axis of the building. The metal-framed, fixed-pane windows have tinted glazing and panels of ridged, bronzed metal separating the first and second floors. The recessed main entrance originally had pairs of side-hinged glass doors with dark metal frames that have since been replaced. The walls are capped with a recessed band of ridged metal, from which extends a massive, swooping soffit finished in smooth stucco. The roof is flat and not visible from street level, and the roof-mounted mechanical systems are only visible from across the park.
The south side of the building is similar in design to the west façade but has only two brick bays separated by a wide band of windows, which define the second major axis of the building. The south side is accessed by a single door for emergency use only that is inconspicuously incorporated in the window band.
The east side of the building is a mirror image of the west side, and (aside from surrounding landscaping and site features) is functionally identical. The doors are automatic, metal-framed, sliding-glass doors. The north side of the building is identical to the south side of the building (aside from surrounding landscaping and site features). This visual symmetry contributes to the highly volumetric, sculptural form of the building, further emphasized by its corner location and siting on a raised plinth.
Interior Description
The interior of the building has three levels: the first and second stories and a basement level. The first and second stories are very similar in design, layout, and materials and hardware. In plan, the first and second floors comprise a series of modular bays with curved corners, each measuring 26 feet east-west by 22 feet north-south; these are separated by 4-foot spans that are filled by recessed, full-height windows. Each floor is arrayed in a series of nine modules (north to south) by three modules (east to west). The main entrance and window band on the west side, the window bands on the east side, and the window bands on the north and south ends take the place of one module and two window spans. The first and second floors have open plans that are arranged into reading areas and rows of free-standing shelving, with small, enclosed service and meeting rooms arranged around the central foyer on each floor. A secondary staircase and a small conference room are located in the southwest and southeast corners of the building, respectively. Four enclosed service modules form the four corners of the foyer. The basement level is divided into meeting rooms, administrative offices, staff work areas, and storage.
The first floor of the Weber County Main Library is approached through the main entry on the west side of the building. The metal-framed, glass exterior doors are replacements, as are the sidelights and transoms. The sliding double doors lead to a short vestibule with glass walls. The matching, non-original, interior automatic doors lead into an open foyer.
Throughout the building, the window bands provide vistas of the surrounding park, with low furnishings and bookcases allowing for unobstructed views to the outdoors. The building was originally furnished with Eames-designed Herman Miller furniture. Many of the original furniture pieces remain in use in the library today, including molded plastic chairs, tables, sofas, and Barcelona chairs; additionally, some furniture was replaced in kind ca. 2015 (personal communication with Lynnda Wangsgard, February 13, 2019). The powerfully horizontal space of the interior, amplified by relatively low, flat ceilings and a dark interior, is relieved by a nearly square atrium that opens above the cross axis to the floor above. The connection between inside and outside is strengthened by the stacked brick walls and curved corners of the enclosed modules, which continue uninterrupted from the building’s exterior. And in all locations around the first floor, the full-height windows and minimal window framing give the impression that the floor and the flat, plastered ceiling move fluidly to the exterior.
The second floor of the Weber County Main Library is accessed by the main staircase on the east side of the building and the elevator in the southwest service module, as well as a secondary staircase at the southwest end of the floor. Both the staircase and elevator open into a spacious foyer, with the atrium immediately to the north. The second-floor plan is very similar to the first-floor plan, comprising an array of nine modular bays (north to south) by three bays (east to west) separated by recessed, full-height windows. The pre-teen areas to the east and west of the atrium and the long window walls on the north and south ends take the place of one module and two window spans. Four enclosed service modules form the four corners of the second-floor foyer. As with the first floor, this is a powerfully horizontal space with a strong visual connection between the inside and outside.
The service modules on both the first and second floors have a number of additional design details. Windows, when present, are metal-framed and extend from floor to ceiling. Doors are of solid, dark finished wood. The ceilings are dropped to the height of the door and window lintels. The original circulation desk in the northwest module has been replaced, but all of the other modules remain relatively unaltered, including the main elevator and the carpeted staircase with its closed baluster and raised, curving wood handrail. On the second floor, all of the modules remain relatively unaltered, including the main elevator and the carpeted staircase, although the two conference rooms in the northwest module have been combined to form one larger room; another module on the second floor has been altered for use as a restroom, although the original window and door openings were retained.
Generally, the floors on both levels are covered with carpet as they were originally (although the carpet has been replaced). The building underwent rehabilitation between 2014 and 2018; as part of that project, closed cell foam insulation was applied to the previously uninsulated exterior walls. The overall design of the walls remains the same, however, including the character-defining curves that visually connect the interior to the exterior. Perforated gypsum board has also been installed on the ceilings to replace the original acoustic plaster.
The lower level of the Weber County Main Library is accessed by the main staircase on the east side of the building and the elevator on the west side, as well as a secondary staircase at the southwest end of the floor. Both the main staircase and elevator open into a lobby, with administrative offices and work spaces to the north and public meeting rooms to the south. The lower level is rectangular in plan and retains the modular array of the upper floors, but this is not expressed on the interior walls in part because the floor is devoid of the windows that define the modules in the upper floors. South of the lobby, along the east side of the building, are mechanical, electrical/data, and storage rooms. Along the west side, separated from the east side by a long hallway, are a board conference room, two meeting rooms, and a special collections area. Restrooms flank the elevator on the west side of the lobby. Access to the administrative area is through two sets of doors on the north side of the lobby. The east door leads to a delivery area and storage. The west door leads to an open staff area and restrooms; two enclosed offices and a training room open from the hallway leading to the west door. A loading dock is at the north end of the building.
Generally, the floors on this level are covered with carpet as they were originally, although the carpet has been replaced. Acoustic tiles have been added to the ceilings. The layout of the north half of the lower level has undergone alteration since its construction through the addition of walls to create new rooms. The south half of the lower level has not been altered, with the exception that a previously unfinished storage room was finished and converted into a multi-purpose room for the public. An addition has also been added to the east side of the building to provide space for mechanical equipment and electrical and data rooms. This addition is entirely underground and has not resulted in any changes to the exterior appearance of the building.
Building Rehabilitation
When originally designed, the Weber County Main Library was created with modification in mind. John Piers, the architect, intended that changes in library services could be made without being restricted by the physical layout or design of the building (Friends of Weber County Library 1998a:14). The building underwent rehabilitation in 2014–2018, but this rehabilitation work did not result in the loss of the building’s character-defining features. Key exterior alterations consisted of the construction of a below grade seating area/amphitheater on the east side of the building and the replacement of original light fixtures and the installation of custom LED light fixtures in the parking lot (based on the original lighting design). Interior alterations included the installation of a secondary entry on the east side, modification of interior walls (such as the application of closed cell foam insulation on previously uninsulated exterior walls), and the replacement of windows. The original textured metal panels on the exterior walls were replaced with a custom textured metal composite panel system that closely matches the original panels’ appearances. The new entry on the east side resulted in alterations to the design of the building, but it reinforced the design intent for first floor circulation by leading visitors into the same open central space where the building axes cross.
Most interior materials were replaced as part of the rehabilitation, including the original flooring (which was replaced with new carpet), wall coverings, and the acoustic plaster on the ceiling (which was replaced with perforated gypsum board). Throughout the building, a limited number of interior light fixtures were replaced, but most were retained. The location of the first-floor restroom was changed to occupy one of the modules that define the interior space, but the module features (such as the door and windows) were retained to preserve the appearance of the space. Finally, an addition was made on the southeast side of the building on the basement level to provide additional space for mechanical, data, and heating, air conditioning, and ventilation equipment. However, this addition is underground and has resulted in no visual impact to the exterior of the building.
Although extensive, the alterations have not resulted in changes to key features of the building such as its exterior massing, its fenestration patterns, the horizontal flow of the interior, the visual connection between the interior and exterior spaces, its setting in an open park area, and the use of modules in dividing the interior spaces. Significant interior materials and features have also been retained, such as furnishings, wood paneling, and light fixtures. Other alterations (such as the application of acoustic plaster to the building’s structural concrete tees) were designed to reduce the visual impact of the changes.
Because these alterations and the addition have had only a limited visual impact on the building and its site, the library retains integrity, particularly in the aspects of design, setting, workmanship, and feeling. It continues to function as a public library and is in its original location, and therefore integrity also remains in the aspects of association and location.
Site/Setting
The building’s site is original and has been landscaped. Significant original site features include the building’s prominent and isolated location at the corner of 25th Street and Jefferson Avenue; the open space of Lester Park to the east; the building’s construction on a raised plinth; the location of the main entrance, book depository, and parking lot access on Jefferson Avenue and the resultant activity on the street front; the compatibly designed parking lot to the north (including brick screen walls, light standards, and plantings); the location and appearance of hardscaping features like the ramps and stairs, pebbled concrete sidewalks, and battered concrete retaining walls; the brick book depository and water tower enclosure; the concrete benches, brick planter boxes, and light standards on the entry plaza; the flag pole; and the dramatic nighttime illumination scheme. The service area at the northeast corner of the building is of secondary significance but retains its original configuration and features, including the approach ramp, concrete retaining wall, metal fence, and loading dock. The only significant alteration to the building’s site is the modern installation of a sunken exterior seating area/amphitheater on the east side of the building that consists of a sunken lawn accessed via various sets of concrete paths and stairs.
