Gustav Becker was one of the leading businessmen in the intermountain west. His brewery was well known and he was a national leader in the brewery industry. As a sportsman, Gustav Becker was famous as a shooter winning several national trap shooting contests. In Utah he was noted for a variety of shooting tricks which he performed.
The Gustav L. Becker home is significant as an outstanding example of the Prairie Style in residential architecture of Utah. The Becker home is also related stylistically to a group of Prairie Style homes located one block to the south which constitutes the David Eccles Subdivision. Architects of the building, first Eber F. Piers and later Ware and Treganza were leaders in the Utah Prairie Style movement which was popular between 1908 and 1920.
The home at 2408 Van Buren Avenue was constructed in 1915 for Mr. and Mrs. Gustav L. Becker.
Gustav Lorenz Becker was born in Winona, Minnesota, on April 7, 1868. His father, John S. Becker, had left his native Baden, Germany, in 1845 at the age of 16 because of his opposition to Prussian militarism. Arriving in Minnesota, the elder Becker was one of the early settlers of Winona.
Gustav Becker attended high school in Winona, then graduated from Lambert's College in his home town. Following his graduation he entered the business world and in 1890 moved to Ogden where he helped establish the Becker Brewing and Malting Company. The Brewery was begun by William Schellhas, a partner of John S. Becker, but in 1890 Becker moved to Ogden to operate the business with the assistance of his two sons Gustav and Albert.
Gustav Becker served as president of the company while his brother, Alfred, filled the office of vice-president and his father that of secretary. The Ogden Brewery prospered during its first quarter century and became one of the most important distributors in the west. However, during the mid-1910 ! s, the issue of prohibition threatened to close the brewery. As resourceful businessmen, the Becker Brothers were able to meet the new situation by changing their production to soft drinks and a non-alcoholic cereal beverage known as Becco. In June 1933 when the consumption of 3.2 beer was permitted in surrounding states, although not in Utah, the Becker Brothers were able to secure passage of a state law which permitted the manufacture of beer in Utah for sale in "wet" states. The justification for this measure was the number of jobs which could be provided during the difficult days of the depression.
The importance of Gustav Becker in the national brewing business is evident in his appointment as President of the United States Brewers Association in 1939. Prior to that time he had served as Chairman of the Association's executive committee, grains committee, and hops committee.
In addition to the brewery business, Gustav Becker was active in several other Utah businesses. He served as director of the Amalgamated Sugar Company, Ogden State Bank, the Utah-Idaho Central Railway Company, the Superior Rock Springs Coal Company, the Ogden Morning Examiner, the Tintic Standard Mining Company, and Lion Coal Company." - National Register Nomination
The house is now offices of the Children's Justice Center for Morgan/Weber County.