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HISTORIC SITE FORM (10- ) UTAH STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE 1 IDENTIFICATION Name of Property: Lester Park Address: 663 24th Street Twnshp: 6N Range: 1W Section: 28 City, County: Ogden, Weber County Lat/Long(degr dec.): 111.9632991W 41.226875N Current Owner Name: Ogden City Corp USGS Map Name & Date: Ogden 1978 Current Owner Address: 2549 Washington Blvd Tax Number: 25 parcel 010240001 Legal Description (include acreage): ALL OF BLOCK 28, PLAT A, OGDEN CITY SURVEY, WEBER COUNTY, UTAH(THIS IS LESTER PARK). 10.14 Acres 2 STATUS/USE Property Category ✔ building(s) ✔ structure site object Evaluation ✔ eligible/contributing ineligible/non-contributing out-of-period Use Original Use: Park/public space Current Use: Park/public space 3 DOCUMENTATION Photos: Dates ✔ digital: 02/06/2026 prints: historic: Drawings and Plans measured floor plans ✔ site sketch map Historic American Bldg. Survey original plans available at: other: Research Sources (check all sources consulted, whether useful or not) ✔ city/county histories abstract of title ✔ tax card & photo personal interviews building permit USHS History Research Center sewer permit USHS Preservation Files Sanborn Maps USHS Architects File obituary index LDS Family History Library city directories/gazetteers local library: census records university library(ies): biographical encyclopedias newspapers Bibliographical References (books, articles, interviews, etc.) Attach copies of all research notes, title searches, obituaries, and so forth. History of Lester Park in Ogden, Utah. Ogden, Utah Glory Days. Facebook Post by Lindsay Deamer on January 6, 2024 Robert Godard / Cannon Heritage Consultants Researcher/Organization: _______________________________________________ 02/12/2026 Date:___________________ 4 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Building Style/Type: Library=New Formalism Foundation Material: concrete Additions: none minor No. Stories: 2 Wall Material(s): Concrete, Formed major (describe below) Number of associated outbuildings 3 Alterations: and/or structures 1 none ✔ minor major (describe below) . Briefly describe the principal building, additions or alterations and their dates, and associated outbuildings and structures. Use continuation sheets as necessary. Lester Park contains three buildings and a playground structure. The Weber County Library building is a New Formalism style building built in 1968. The library is located in the southwest corner of the park and has a formed concrete exterior. The Golden Hours senior center is situated in the south central portion of the park and was also built in 1968. Golden Hours has a solid brick exterior and appears to be a single story building. The third building is a small public pavilion/restroom constructed of brick and concrete in 2016. The restroom/pavilion is located in the north central portion of the park. In addition to the buildings a small playground structure is located near the center of the park. 5 HISTORY Architect/Builder: Library=John L. Piers Date of Construction: Historic Themes: Mark themes related to this property with "S" or "C" (S = significant, C = contributing). (see instructions for details) Agriculture Economics Industry Politics/ Architecture Education Invention Government Archeology Engineering Landscape Religion Art Entertainment/ Architecture Science Commerce Recreation Law Social History Communications Ethnic Heritage Literature Transportation ✔ Community Planning Exploration/ Maritime History Other & Development Settlement Military Conservation Health/Medicine Performing Arts Write a chronological history of the property, focusing primarily on the original or principal owners & significant events. Explain and justify any significant themes marked above. Use continuation sheets as necessary. Lester Park is located in the Ogden Central Bench Historic District and is adjacent to the Jefferson Avenue Historic District. The park first appears on historic maps as early as 1875, then under the name Liberty Square. Later maps from the 1940s and 1950s show the addition of crossed walkways, and the name changed to Lester Park. Public records of the park’s history are sparse, but a short Facebook post on a local history group's page offers some insight. The post claims the park is named after Lester J. Herrick, one of Ogdens' early mayors who had two terms in office from 1871-1876 and again in 1879-1882. The area that would later become Lester Park was originally a sagebrush-covered hill used for hunting. Later, a baseball diamond was added before finally being turned into a public park. Several historic photos of the park are also included in the Facebook post, showing different iterations of the park from 1893, 1901, and 1914. These photos show a bowery and a water fountain that were allegedly constructed in 1881 and 1882. Several of the photos are stamped with a Union Station 100 year aniversery logo, suggesting the original documents may be maintained in their museum collection. Based on the historic images and maps, the park has likely undergone several design changes throughout its long history, but has always remained largely a neighborhood/community-style park (Deamer 2024). In 1937, the Utah Pioneer Trails and Landmarks Association erected a commemorative plaque for Pierre Jean De Smet, a priest of the Society of Jesus who aided Brigham Young and other Mormon pioneers in 1848. The bronze plaque is attached to a rectangular hewn granite slab near the northwest corner of the park (Figures 1 and 5). In 1968, the construction of the Golden Hours senior community center (#112334)(Figure 8) and the Weber County Main Library (#123953)(Figure 9) was completed in the south and western portions of the park. Both buildings have since been included on Utah SHPO’s Historic Utah Buildings (HUB). In 2016, a small public restroom/pavilion was added near the park's north-central margin (Figure 6). Additionally, a small playground area can be found near the center of the park (Figure 7). Figure 1. An east-facing overview along the northern margin of Lester Park and the 1937 commemorative plaque (R. Godard 6 February 2026). Figure 2. A southwest-facing overview from the northeast corner of Lester Park (R. Godard 6 February 2026). Figure 3. A southeast-facing overview from the center of Lester Park (R. Godard 6 February 2026). Figure 4. A northwest-facing overview from the center of Lester Park (R. Godard 6 February 2026). Figure 5. A close-up of the Pierre Jean De Smet commemorative plaque (R. Godard 6 February 2026). Figure 6. A northwest-facing photo of the modern restroom/pavilion building (R. Godard 6 February 2026). Figure 7. A photo of the playground structure near the center of Lester Park (R. Godard 6 February 2026). Figure 8. A photo of the Golden Hours Senior Center in the southern portion of Lester Park (R. Godard 6 February 2026). Figure 9. A photo of the Weber County Library in the southwest corner of Lester Park (R. Godard 6 February 2026).