The Weber County Library
The Weber County Library replaced the Ogden Carnegie Library in 1968. It has continued to serve Ogden and the county ever since.
The Weber County Library replaced the Ogden Carnegie Free Library (26th and Washington Boulevard) which could no longer meet the needs of the city and county. The Carnegie Library served Ogden City and Weber County from 1903 to 1969. In 1962, a plan to create a consolidated city and county library system was introduced to the Ogden City Council. Also in 1962, the library board established the Friends of the Library organization which became instrumental in supporting the library and shepherding the design and construction of the new building to completion. In 1963, chair Frank M Browning successfully cosponsored 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.
A significant obstacle was the debate about where the new library would be constructed. The debate was between Ogden's City Council, the Weber County Library Board, and County's Commission chairman, Bud Faverio. Three building sites were proposed: the site of the Carnegie Library, 25th Street between Kiesal and Grand Avenues, and Lester Park. The latter was finally agreed upon.
The design of the building was by local architect John L. Piers (1922-1997). He used the New Formalist style popular at the time, as well as elements of the Brutalist style that was just gaining popularity. 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.The library took six years from 1962 to 1968 to open at 2464 Jefferson Avenue in Ogden. The Weber County Library became the new community library for Ogden and branch libraries were built within Weber County over time, the first county-wide system in Utah.
In 2011, an electric box within the building failed, almost catching the building on fire. Soon the waterproofing started to fail. More infrastructure problems led the county to fund a multi-branch remodel. The renovation extended from 2014 to 2018, and architects preserved key features of the building. The staff of the library continued to provide community-based programs throughout the remodeling. Sine the remodel, the library remains an important pillar in Weber County.
