El Monte Golf Course Clubhouse
Date: 2018
The El Monte clubhouse was built with local and federal funds in 1934-1935. It is a fine example of bungalow style architecture used in a recreational setting.
In 1928, with support from the Ogden Golf and Country Club, efforts were begun to secure a municipal golf course for Ogden. Led by florist Fred A. Huish (1866 – 1949) and other sports boosters, the course was to be located near El Monte Springs, at the mouth of Ogden Canyon. The Springs (formerly the Ogden Canyon Resort, 1895-1927) was a local resort which offered swimming, dancing, and picnicking activities.
El Monte Springs closed in 1932 because of the economic crisis of the Great Depression and the city considered leasing the facilities for use by the municipal golf players. However, the next year, the city opted to seek federal funds to build a clubhouse. Utah was one of the states most severely affected by the Great Depression. As a consequence, it received substantial federal funding from New Deal programs. Perhaps the most prominent of these were building programs -- 233 public works buildings were constructed in the state of Utah. Of these, 15 were constructed within Weber County. The El Monte Golf Course Clubhouse was one of these projects.
Funded by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), the clubhouse project received $17,000, which was coupled with $5,500 from the city of Ogden. Eber F. Piers (1889 – 1961) was hired as the architect. Piers came to Utah from Colorado in 1908 to work at an architecture firm. In 1910, he opened his own firm and became a distinguished practitioner. Over the course of his career he designed over 300 buildings throughout the greater Ogden area. Many of them, including the El Monte Clubhouse, are still in use today.
Most of the materials for construction, including the stonework on the exterior of the building, were taken from Ogden Canyon. The Clubhouse is a fairly simple, bungalow style building with a gable roof. The exterior stonework continues inside to frame the large fireplace. Most of the original decorations and paintings still adorn the walls. It is a simple, yet elegant design that adds a certain beauty to the small golf course it accompanies. Both the course and the clubhouse are still owned by the city of Ogden.
Images
Date: 2018
Date: 2018
Date: 2018
Date: 2018