Ogden City Council to vote on future of Ogden Exchange Building Tuesday

The 1931 Ogden Union Stockyard Exchange Building stands at 600 Exchange Rd. in Ogden, Monday, April 13. Deann Armes

NEWS

Last week during the Ogden City Council work session, the administration presented a land transfer and development proposal to the Redevelopment Agency (RDA) board for the historic Ogden Union Stockyard Exchange Building. The proposal grants the building and its 1.8 acres to private developer Fischer Regan Enterprises at no cost and commits $1 million toward its restoration. Its future use is intended for GRME Corporate Headquarters, currently located in South Ogden. 

The Exchange Building, which opened in 1931, is an example of the Art Deco style of its architect Leslie S. Hodgson, whose work also includes Ogden High School, Peery’s Egyptian Theater, Ogden Municipal Building, and more. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

After closing in 1971, it was mostly abandoned. The city of Ogden purchased it in 2013 with plans for its restoration. An RDA-approved land transfer and development contract with Q Factor in 2022 failed and until now a viable development plan was not secured.

The building, currently listed on Preservation Utah’s Most Endangered buildings list, provides a backdrop to the stage of Ogden's Own Distillery’s outdoor amphitheater and from the patio across the street at Roosters B Street Brewery. Local lore dubs it one of Ogden’s most haunted places (even serving briefly as a haunted attraction by a previous private owner), and it’s known to house a bat colony. 

The city council is scheduled to vote on the proposal tomorrow. More about the proposal can be found here: https://www.ogdencity.gov/.../04-07-26---WS---Exchange