Ogden/Weber Municipal Building

Ogden Weber Municipal Building
  1. About the Ogden/Weber Municipal Building in Ogden
    1. Building Catalogations
  2. Architect and team
  3. Architectural style
  4. Spaces and uses
  5. Structure and materials

The Ogden/Weber Municipal Building is an Art-deco skyscraper designed by Hodgson and McClenahan, and built between 1938 and 1940, for a reported $953 thousand dollars, in Ogden, UT.

Ogden/Weber Municipal Building is not the only name you might know this building by though. It is common for companies to want to attach their names to iconic buildings when they move in, or for the general public to come up with nicknames, and this one is no exception. The Ogden/Weber Municipal Building is also known, or has been known as, Ogden City Municipal Building, Ogden City & County Building, or Weber County Courthouse.

Its precise street address is 2541 Washington Blvd, Ogden, UT. You can also find it on the map here.

The Ogden/Weber Municipal Building is a structure of significant importance both for the city of Ogden and the United States as a nation. The building embodies the distinctive characteristic features of the time in which it was built and the Art Deco style. Because of that, the Ogden/Weber Municipal Building was officially included in the National Register of Historic Places on June 7th 1983.

The building underwent a major restoration between 1996 and 2000.

Building's timeline

Construction begins
1938
86
Construction completed
1940
84
Added to the NRHP
1983
41
a
Restoration
2000
24
years ago
2024
  1. 1996 to 2000 - A complete restoration of the building was carried out, which included seismic restoration of the structure. The carpentry, lamps and office spaces were also repaired.

Architect and team

Hodgson and McClenahan was the architecture firm in charge of the architectural design. But there was also one other architect involved, as far as we know. We are talking about George A. Whitmeyer & Sons.

Architectural Style

The Ogden/Weber Municipal Building can be categorized as an Art-deco building.

The Art Deco movement flourished during the 1920s and 1930s, with many historians marking the outbreak of World War II as its final decline. Even though a couple of decades might not seem as much, the Art Deco movement had a great impact on architecture, and it's widely represented in many American cities due to the development boom that happened during that time.

Art Deco marked the abandonment of traditional historicism and the embracement of modern living and the age of the machine. In architecture, that meant leaving behind the ornaments of Beux-Arts and Neo-Gothic buildings and instead favoring simplicity and visual impact through geometric shapes, clean lines, and symmetrical designs. Ornaments were still an important part of the design, but they became bold and lavish, and were often inspired by ancient cultures or industrial imagery, instead of nature.

Spaces & Uses

The Ogden/Weber Municipal Building reaches an architectural height of 184ft (56m). It has a total of 12 floors, served by 4 elevators.

Ever since opening its doors to the public in 1940, the Ogden/Weber Municipal Building has mainly been used as Governmental space.

184ft (56m)

Materials & Structure

From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features a rectangular base and a higher central volume which acts as the symmetry axis for the side wings that descend on two levels. The crownings of the building are made with glazed terracotta elements, as are the window sills.

The main entrance, flanked by Antique Art Deco style lamps, is located in a projecting pavilion crowned with terracotta and accessed by stairs that start from street level. The glass doors with silver and black steel create a frame that contrasts with the red brick used in the construction of the building.

Sources

  • npgallery.nps.gov