Edwin Dix served as Weber County assessor from 1894 to 1904. He came to Utah around 1860, as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, then left that church and helped establish the Episcopal Church in Plain City. Dix worked as a stonecutter on the LDS temple in Salt Lake City, and is believed to have built this house over several years, between 1895 and 1903.*
Constructed in 1902, the Weber Stake Relief Society Building is locally significant as the center of activities for the women’s organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon or LDS Church). During the late nineteenth century. Relief Society women in virtually every Mormon community constructed buildings to accommodate their activities . There were meetinghouses, granaries, stores, and homes of assistance for the needy. These buildings represent the significant role the Relief Society played i n promoting the spiritual and temporal welfare of Mormon communities. Relief Society buildings were gradually abandoned during the early twentieth century as new accommodations for the Relief Society were provided within the main church buildings being constructed at that time. Although the building acted as a religious structure , it s significance i s derived from it s representation of the historical theme of Relief Society activity in early Mormon communities.
This building is located at 2104 Lincoln Avenue in Ogden, Utah, it was moved from 2148 Grant Avenue on January 24, 2012, it was added to the National Historic Register on February 13, 1989 (#88003438) and it is the home of the Weber County Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum.
The Weber Stake Relief Society was organized in 1877 under the direction of Brigham Young and other LDS church officials. It was reportedly the first Relief Society group to be organized by stake rather than ward (a stake comprises several wards or congregations). Like Relief Society groups church- wide, the Weber Stake Relief Society was responsible for providing assistance to the poor, the sick and the needy. It is unknown where the group met during its first 25 years, but in 1902 plans were made -for constructing a large brick building on Tabernacle Square in downtown Ogden. Property for the building was donated by the Ogden Third Ward of the LDS church. Work commenced in the spring of 1902 under the supervision of a three-man building committee consisting of D.H. Peery, Barnard White and S.W. Wade. Funds were obtained by the women through donations and various fund-raising projects. Most of the $5,000 construction cost was paid by the time the building was dedicated on July, 19, 1902. The dedication was attended by a number of church officials and scores of women who were also celebrating the 25th anniversary of the organization of the Weber Stake Relief Society. 2 The building was used by the Relief Society for a variety of purposes, including meetings, quilt- making, concerts, dances, .and other cultural events.
Changes in church organization and policy brought an end to the use of the building by the Relief Society in 1926. The Weber Stake had been divided into three stakes in 1908, and wit h the growth of those organizations the building was unable to accommodate al l the needs of the Relief Society. In addition, the church began constructing new church buildings which included accommodations for the Relief Society and other auxiliary functions. As a result of those developments, the building was no longer needed as a Relief Society facility. In 1926 it was transferred to the Weber County Daughters of Utah Pioneers in 1926 wit h the stipulation s that it be used as a non-profit museum for displaying pioneer relics. If those conditions were not adhered to then the property was to revert back to the church. The Weber County Daughters of Utah Pioneers have maintained a museum in the building to the present.
This brick building , constructed in 1902, is a good example of the Victoria n Gothic architectural style, a style which was popular in Utah in the years between 1880 and 1910. Gothic features include the prominent, steeply pitched gable roof that spans the main part of the building, and the three pointed arched windows in the principal façade. The center window is the largest, and all three are highlighted by low-relief segmental brick arches. Rusticated stone coping has been used along the raking eaves of the front gable. Further adding to the the rustic appearance of the building are the slate tiles infilling the top of the front gable and the use of a shadow line of low-relief brickwork to approximate a stepped gable along the raking eaves. Also, diamond-paned tracery is found in the transoms of the three front windows.
The rest of the building is plainer and more Victorian in style. Rows of main story and basement windows along each side and rear of the rectangular gabled block have slightly rounded segmental arches. The rear gable is pedimented but devoid of ornamentation. A one story gabled entrance wing is located on the front of the south side, and there is another one story gabled extension to the rear of the main block. Both these sections appear to be original and have rusticate d coping along their raking eaves. A smaller addition has been placed at the southeast corner of the rear section which also appears original . The building remains in good historic condition.
The Relief Society Building was commissioned by Brigham Young in 1877. Built in classic Gothic style of red brick made in Weber County, it was dedicated on July 19, 1902 by the Weber Stake Relief Society under the direction of Jane Snyder Richards. This was the only known Stake Relief Society Hall built by the LDS church, as others served only one or two wards. The buildings quickly became the meeting place for festivals, plays, concerts, dances, etc.
In 1926 President Heber J. Grant deeded the property to the Weber County Daughters of Utah Pioneers.
During World War II the building was confiscated by the Federal Government to be used as Ogden’s first day care center for children of women who worked in the war effort. Following the war, it reverted back to the Daughters and the artifacts were taken out of storage and once again displayed to the public free of charge.
The Relief Society Building is the last of the historical buildings on its original site within Tabernacle Square.
U.P.T.L.A. Marker #41 says: This cabin, built about 1841 by Miles Goodyear, as far as known the first permanent house built in Utah, stood near the junction of the Ogden and Weber Rivers. In 1848 it was sold to Captain James Brown of the Mormon Battalion with a Spanish land grant covering all of Weber County. It was preserved by Minerva Stone Shaw and by her presented to the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, Weber County Chapter, who placed it on its present site.
D.U.P. Marker #484 says: Miles Morris Goodyear built this cabin on the lower Weber River as a way station and trading post. The cabin, along with other buildings became Fort Buenaventura meaning good venture. It was the first permanent settlement in the Utah Territory. Miles Goodyear (1817-1849) had traveled as far as Fort Hall in 1836 with Dr. Marcus Whitman’s party of Methodist Missionaries. Goodyear was a trapper, prospector and trader. His Indian wife Pomona was the daughter of Ute chief Peet-teet-neet. The couple had two children, William Miles and Mary Eliza.
Mormon Battalion Captain James Brown and Mary Black Brown bought Fort Buenaventura and all of Weber County for $1,950 in gold. Mary Brown made the cabin home for her family and made 1,000 pounds of cheese during the first year.
The Browns sold the cabin to Amos P. and Minerva Leontine Jones Stone. The Stone family lived in the cabin for a time, eventually using it as a blacksmith shop. A daughter, Minerva Pease Stone Shaw, in 1926 presented the cabin to Weber County Daughters of Utah Pioneers for preservation. It has been moved seven times, ultimately being placed at this site. In 1994 it was disassembled for preservation of the logs and reassembled in 1995 at this location to benefit posterity.
The Ogden City Landmarks Commission plaque says: Miles Goodyear came west as a venturesome young man with the Whitman- Spaulding Expedition of 1836. He married a daughter of the Ute Chief, Pe-teet-neet, and located his stockade and cabin on the Weber River. This post became a stop-over and replenishment station for California-bound emigrants. Goodyear called his place Fort Buenaventura.
The cabin was built of sawed cottonwood logs in 1845 by Goodyear. Its dimensions are 14’4″x17’9″. The original floors were dirt. As the foundation logs sat on the ground, they rotted away and have been replaced. In addition, some of the lumber in the door and the windows was sawed after 1847.
Originally located on the Weber River two miles above the Ogden River confluence, the cabin has been moved several times. In 1928 it was donated to the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers.
The cabin was added to the National Historic Register (#71000866) on February 24, 1971.
The earliest permanent white settlers in Utah were trappers and traders. In the Miles Goodyear cabin the story is told of the transition from trap- per and trader to settler. Goodyear came west as a venturesome young man with the Whitman-Spaulding Expedition of 1836. At Fort Hall on the Snake River in present-day Idaho, he left the party to become a mountain man.” In time he married a daughter of the Ute Chief, Pe-teet-neet, and located his stockade and cabin on the Weber River. This post became a stop-over and replenishment station for California-bound emigrants. Goodyear called his place Fort Buenaventura.
Goodyear combined his trapping ventures with trading as far afield as California. On July 10, 1847, he met the advance party of the first Mormon emigrants at Bear Lake bottoms, where he talked with O. P. Rockwell, George A. Smith, Erastus Snow, and Norton Jacobs.
The new emigrants soon became interested in Goodyear’s holdings. James Brown saw them in August, 1847. After returning from California with Mormon Battalion payrolls, Brown pursued this interest and was per- mitted to negotiate with Goodyear who sold his properties for $1,950.00. The original claim included about 225 square miles, nearby all of present Weber County.
Brown moved in by March, 1848. The site became known as Brown’s Fort, Brown’s Settlement and, subsequently, Brownsville. The name Ogden was be- stowed officially in 1851.
Only the cabin remains of Goodyear’s Fort Buenaventura. But through it, this important transitional part of American and Utah history can be told.
This cabin, built about 1841 by Miles Goodyear, as far as known the first permanent house built in Utah, stood near the junction of the Ogden and Weber Rivers. In 1848 it was sold to Captain James Brown of the Mormon Battalion with a Spanish land grant covering all of Weber County. It was preserved by Minerva Stone Shaw and by her presented to the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, Weber County Chapter, who placed it on its present site.
This is Utah Pioneers Trails and Landmarks Association historic marker #41, later adopted by the Sons of Utah Pioneers. Erected July 24, 1934 and located at the Weber County Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum at 2104 Lincoln Avenue in Ogden, Utah
Lorin Farr 1820-1909 Pioneer-Religious and Civic Leader-Statesman
Lorin Farr was a Utah pioneer of 1847. He was a friend and staunch supporter of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and assisted in the settlement of Nauvoo, Ill. Where he helped build the temple.
He was the first president of Weber Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a member of the first Territorial Legislature and a member of the the convention that framed the constitution of the State of Utah. He assisted in laying out the original plat of the city of Ogden, organized the first city government and became its first mayor.
He build and operated the first grist mill and saw mill in Weber County and, with others, constructed the first highway through Ogden Canyon. Tullidge, contemporary Utah historian, proclaimed him “Ogden’s most representative citizen.”
This is Utah Pioneers Trails and Landmarks Association historic marker #45, later adopted by the Sons of Utah Pioneers (#177 in that series). Erected June 25, 1937 and located at the Weber County Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum at 2104 Lincoln Avenue in Ogden, Utah
In 2011, the above plaque was retrieved from its original location at the corner of 21st Street and Washington Boulevard, when the structure it was mounted on was demolished. That was the location of one of Lorin Farr’s early homes. The Farr descendants and the Ogden Pioneer Chapter of the Sons of Utah Pioneers remounted it here in 2013, with appreciation to the Daughters of Utah Pioneers for allowing its relocation to this site.
Built c. 1891, the Charles W. Cross House is architecturally significant as one of about fourteen well preserved, documented, extant examples of houses in the Ogden area that reflect the influence of the Queen Anne Style in that area. Of those fourteen, three houses are high style examples, and three are Queen Anne cottages. Eight of the houses are two story examples whose plans and designs, like those of the Queen Anne cottages, were probably either drawn from or influenced by house pattern books. As one of those eight houses, the Cross House is one of the best preserved examples. In addition, it is also more clearly tied to pattern book sources than are the other houses, because its plan and elevation are almost identical to 462 17th Street, the house across the street.
This home was added to the National Historic Register (#84002434) July 12, 1984 and is located at 451 17th Street in Ogden, Utah
Charles W. Cross was born at London, England in 1861. He came to Utah sometime in 1880. Cross was a harness maker and established a shop in Ogden, Utah. He had a frame building on stiles built to serve as his shop. About ten years later, apparently to expand his business, Cross had a two-story building constructed and took on his brother, Alfred Cross, as a partner. His brother died several years later and Cross continued on with the business. Cross apparently acquired a large holding of Ogden area property. An obituary that appeared in the Deseret News states, “It is believed that he was the heaviest taxpayer for his years in the city [Ogden].” In addition to his harness and saddlery business Cross managed his real estate interests.
Cross married Annie Cave and they had five children. In 1900 Cross was elected as an Ogden City councilman and was re-elected in 1901. He served as the chairman of the committee on public buildings and grounds as well as on “several other important committees, where he rendered conspicuous service.” Cross was serving on the city council when he died , at the age of 44, on April 29, 1903 in the house on 17th Street.
In 1903, after Cross’s death, the harness and saddlery company was incorporated with his son, Charles Cross Jr., his mother, Avis Cross, and his sister listed as the owners. The business continued to operate under the name of the C.W. Cross Company and is now known as the Cross Western Store.
The Cross house is significant as an example of the type of houses that were built during Ogden’s early 1890s boom period which resulted in the building of numerous houses and the formation of many additions and subdivisions. Ogden newspapers indicated that in 1890 the area was experiencing a building boom and a proliferation of subdivisions and additions. On March 19, 1890 The Semi-Weekly Standard commented, “The question of house room is becoming too serious. Unless the builders get more force into the field, tents will be in demand.” Later, on July, 19, 1890 another article on the building situation was headlined, “The Building Boon Our Residence Supply Fearfully Inadequate-Demand For Houses Is Enormous.”
The growth of the city was attributed to the publicity that the city had been receiving. The publicity was probably of a promotional nature since local businessmen and eastern investors were interested in seeing the area grow. From interviews with real estate men in the city it was claimed that each company was receiving twenty calls per day and that if housing the were available it would be immediately rented or purchased.
One means of meeting the need for more housing was shipping in 11 ready-made” houses by train from St. Paul. These houses were substantial buildings. They cost from $600 to $5,000 and were two stories with four rooms on the first floor and two rooms on the second. The company putting up the buildings promised a foundation that was 18 inches deep, two coats of plaster, two coats of paint, outhouses in the rear, a board fence around the lot, and a picket fence in front of the house.
On June 25, 1890, the Semi-Weekly Standard announced, in a regular article, that the Riverside Park addition, the area where the C.W. Cross house was built, was open for sale by the Utah Loan and Trust Company. The N. Farr Land, Loan and Trust Company served as the agents for the addition. The advantage of the Riverside Park addition was its proximity to the center of town. Since such property was scarce the addition was felt to be valuable. However, it appears that only several houses were built in the addition at this time. The Cross House and the house across the street, 467 17th Street, are the only identified houses in the vicinity that date from this period. By 1892 C.W. Cross was living in the house. It is not known whether Cross had the house built or whether the house was built by the developers of the Riverside Park addition. The similarity of the Cross house with the one across the street, 467 17th Street, might indicate that the area was developed according to a plan and that the developers relied on house pattern book sources.
Built in 1890-91, the Charles W, Cross house is a two story example of the typical expression of the Queen Anne style in Utah. It is likely that the design for this house was derived from pattern books of the late nineteenth century. It is a brick house with an irregular plan, a stone foundation, and a pyramid roof off of which three gable roof cross-wings project. The house is oriented north, and the cross-wings are on the east, west and north sides. Each of the cross-wings terminates in a three part bay topped by a decorative gable. The main double door entrance is on the east half of the north façade. The porch over the entrance wraps around the northeast corner of the building, and is distinguished at the corner by a conical roof which caps a circular projection of the porch floor. A second smaller entrance opens off the porch into a panel of the east façade three part bay. Fluted columns support the porch roof, and there is a lathe-turned balustrade. There is a small second story screen porch over the main entrance which is topped by a small gable roof projection off the main roof. That porch is connected to the east panel of the north façade three part bay.
Double hung sash windows pierce each of the panels of the three part bays. There is a single double hung sash window per story on all panels of each window bay. The relieving arches of the first story windows are accented by decorative brickwork, compared with the simple arches of the second story windows. A band of stained glass lights frame the upper sash of each window the three part bays. The pediments of the gable section over each three part window bay are highlighted by fish-scale patterned shingles, a bargeboard into which a decorative pattern has been incised, and a small rectangular window with a simple pediment over it. Large decorative brackets intersect below the corners of each pediment. Decorative posts support the second story screen porch, and a unique spindle band spans the spaces between posts. A sunburst decorative element fills the pediment of the porch gable.
A one story brick kitchen wing is attached to the rear of the house. It is more elaborate than most extensions of this type, resembling a small Victorian cottage. It has a multi-hip roof which terminates in a gable projecting over a three part bay at the rear of the house. The use of diamond patterned shingles in the gable section reflects an attempt to visually tie the rear extension with the rest of the house. A back entrance opens off a small open porch which is attached to the east side of the three part bay. The windows of the kitchen wing are the double hung sash type. Some of them are Distinguished by rough cut red sandstone sills. The sills of the main section as well as those of the first section of the kitchen have smooth concrete sills. It is possible that the rear section of the kitchen wing was added some time after the construction of both the main body of the house and the first section of the kitchen wing. A slight difference between the color of the brick of the two story section and that of the kitchen wing suggest that the entire kitchen wing may not be original. If not original, however, the wing was probably built soon after the original construction, and complements the house in materials, style, decorative elements and massing. A one story gable roof extension was added to the west side of the kitchen extension. It has asbestos siding, and was probably added in the 1950s. Because of its scale and location it is an unobtrusive alteration which does not affect the original character of the building.
The organization of rooms on the interior of the house is typical of Victorian design. The plan is asymmetrically arranged with a hall on the east side, from which a staircase rises to the second floor. Behind the hall is a dining room. On the west side of the house are two parlors, one behind the other. Upstairs, two bedrooms are aligned one behind the other over the parlors, and there is a third bedroom over the dining room. There is no hall on the second story, except for the foyer where the stairs come up from the first floor. The rooms merely open one into the other. All of the original moldings are intact. They are grooved moldings with distinctive corner blocks typical of Victorian design. The moldings in the front parlor, which flanks the hall, are hand grained, and are accented with gold leaf. The fireplace in that room has an ornate oak mantel with a distinctive hearth of decorative tiles. The kitchen wing consists of three rooms built within the historic period, and three rooms that are in the asbestos sided wing. The three rooms in the brick section include an entry hall flanked by a small room behind which is a large kitchen. A second set of stairs rises from that room to an attic section which has been converted to several small bedrooms, and connects with the second story of the main section of the house. A bathroom, one long hall, and a single work room occupy the space of the asbestos sided addition.
This house is a fine example of Utah’s expression of the Queen Anne style. Typical of the Queen Anne style is the asymmetrical composition, and the variety of materials, texture, and color. Brick was used instead of wood, the common building material for examples of the style in other parts of the country, because it was probably the most readily available material. The brick, however, contrasts with the stone of the foundation and the wood of the gable sections and porches. An active visual image was created by topping the irregular form with a hip roof from which several gable sections project in various directions. The decorative brickwork over the windows and along the major chimney flue, in combination with the patterned shingles and bargeboards of the gable sections and the stained glass panels of the window sashes provide a variety of textures and patterns. Two colors have been combined on the gable sections and contrast with the red bricks. The conical roof on the porch, the multi-planed roof, the fish-scale shingles on the gable sections, the stained glass lights around the upper sashes of the windows, the bargeboards, and the wrap around porch are elements that are typical of the Queen Anne style.
It is likely that the basis for the plan and design of the Cross house probably originated in popular plan books. The Cross house was built at a time when there was a nation wide trend to own a home in the suburbs. Architectural pattern books provided the source of inspiration for the prospective suburb homeowner who desired a home that would meet personal needs, announce financial and social aspirations, and be a singular and personal expression of taste and preference.’ Because the Cross House is very similar to the house across the street, 462 17th Street, and the plan of the house is similar to other houses whose designs have been attributed to pattern book sources, it seems probable that the design of the Cross house is in part the product of a pattern book design.
The Charles W. Cross home was built in 1891 as one of the first homes to be constructed in the newly platted Riverside Addition to the City of Ogden. The Home incorporates many of the best elements of the late Victorian Ecclecticism, seen in the broad use of color and texture and in the extensive efforts to achieve visual variety and interest.
C.W. Cross, Sr. was a local harness maker, with a store located on Washington Boulevard. He was serving as an Ogden City Councilman at the time of his death in 1903.
The elaborate Queen Anne front porch was added by Mr. Cross in an effort to out-do his neighbor, fellow entrepreneur and long-time rival William Craig. Mr. Craig had built his family home at 462 17th Street, across the street. The original Cross porch looked very similar to the Craig front porch, before it was altered. In the spirit of competition Mr. Craig sold this property and built a second family home directly across Adams Avenue.
This monument is a grateful tribute to the builders of America’s first transcontinental railroad completed May 10, 1869, when the Golden Spike was driven at Promontory, Utah, 53 miles northwest of Ogden.
Dedicated May 10, 1951, to honor those pioneers, who builded better than they knew, and to encourage for all time the same joy of doing.
This is Utah Pioneer Trails and Landmarks Association historic marker #120, erected along with the Union Pacific Railroad Company Southern Pacific Company, the Golden Spike Celebration Committee of Ogden and later adopted by the Sons of Utah Pioneers.
Kiwanis’ plaque: On September 11, 2002 The Kiwanis Club of Ogden donated this flag pole in remembrance of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on America.
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 (Marchant 1998:11). 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 (Assist Incorporated 1988:8). 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.
Courageous Missionary to the American Indians (1838-1868)
Father De Smet became well acquainted with the region of the Great Salt Lake, and gave much valuable information to Brigham Young and the Mormon Pioneers while they were at Winter Quarters, Nebraska, in November, 1846.
This historic marker is located in Lester Park at 24th Street and Jefferson Avenue in Ogden, Utah. It is part of this series by the U.P.T.L.A. and this series by the S.U.P.