View of Twenty-Fifth Street, then known as Main Street, at the intersection of Washington Avenue from the 1890s. The Broom Hotel is pictured in the left foreground. [Click image to enlarge.]

View of Twenty-Fifth Street starting at Ogden Union Station, then called Union Depot, with a view of the Wasatch Mountains taken during the early 1900s. [Click image to enlarge.]

View of Twenty-Fifth Street starting at Ogden Union Station, with a view of the Wasatch Mountains taken during the 1920s. [Click image to enlarge.]

Ogden Union Station, 1940s. This is the third building of the Union Station, which was originally built in 1869 when the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) reached Ogden. The first two-story building was constructed of wood and was replaced in 1899 by a large brick structure with 33 hotel rooms. In 1923 a fire started in one of the hotel rooms, devastating the interior of the building. The entire structure was once again rebuilt, which is the building shown in the image above. [Click image to enlarge.]

Ogden became a peculiar place in Utah as it became one of the only cities in Utah populated with Gentiles, referring to non-Latter-day Saints. Early settlers accused the railroads of this diverse expansion and rowdiness that infiltrated Ogden’s Twenty-Fifth Street. According to historian Val Holley, “Twenty-Fifth Street’s location at the nation’s major railroad junction assured its proximity to events and phenomena that—if not entirely unique—animated and enriched the tapestry of Ogden’s history.”[3] These distinct communities of different ethnic, racial, religious, and political backgrounds came together and created inclusive spaces for all to use and enjoy in Ogden.

Around thirty to fifty Jewish families settled in Ogden by 1920, owning businesses and living on and near Twenty-Fifth Street. Due to the influx of Jewish persons in this area, it became known as “little Jerusalem.”[4] Also known as the “red carpet of Ogden” and Fifth Street until it was renumbered in 1889, Twenty-Fifth Street attracted all sorts of characters.[5] Ralph Benowitz recalls that when his father got off the train headed to Salt Lake City to stretch his feet, he was in awe of the busy and distinct area on Twenty-Fifth Street, which was directly in front of the Ogden Union Station. Ralph remembers his father detailing his arrival:

So, there were lots of people still there: a lot of Chinese labor, a lot of Italian labor, and particularly from the bottom of 25^th Street going up to Washington Boulevard, a matter of three blocks, a lot of Jewish clothing stores. There were also a lot of saloons, hotels, and brothels.[6]

Twenty-Fifth Street became known as Ogden’s rowdiest road, attracting unruly people with its numerous bars and saloons.[7] Twenty-Fifth Street was also home to many immigrant families, including Italian and Jewish families. Marian Rubin Levy, daughter of early congregation members Louis and Jenny Rubin, recalls that “no one’s ever talked about all the good, decent, responsible people who were raising families there.”[8] For the early Jewish persons of Ogden, Twenty-Fifth Street between Wall Avenue and Washington Avenue was a space where they started businesses, raised families, and formed their cultural and religious community. Twenty-Fifth Street is the area where Congregation Brith Sholem was started.