Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 and 1/2 story gable-entry barn with a wagon shed addition. The main gable-facade faces roughly west at the point where Cooper Lane turns into Root Road. The main entry is a sliding door in the northwest corner. Above the sliding door is a side-hinged hay door. In the gable attic is a centered recessed hay door with trim flanked by six-over-six double-hung windows. Just beneath the apex of the roof is a hay fork lift extension. The north eave-side of the barn has three evenly spaced six-over-six double-hung windows with white trim. The south eave-side of the barn has an attached wagon shed addition with four open bays. The barn and addition have vertical siding painted red with white trim. Both the main structure and the addition have tin roofs.

Historical significance:

The New England barn or gable front barn was the successor to the English barn and relies on a gable entry rather than an entry under the eaves. The gable front offers many practical advantages. Roofs drain off the side, rather than flooding the dooryard. With the main drive floor running parallel to the ridge, the size of the barn could be increased to accommodate larger herds by adding additional bays to the rear gable end.  Although it was seen by many as an improvement over the earlier side entry English Barn, the New England barn did not replace its predecessor but rather coexisted with it.

Distinguished by the long shed or gable roof and the row of large openings along the eave side, the typical wagon shed was often built as a separate structure or as a wing connected to the farmhouse or the barn. These open-bay structures protect farm vehicles and equipment from the weather and provide shelter for doing small repairs and maintenance.

Field Notes

Barns on the east side of Cooper Lane at the corner of Root Road. Unclear whether associated with 36 Cooper Lane, 33 Cooper Lane, or an address on Root Rd. New England barn and wagon shed.

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• unknown

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Barn

Environment features

• Open Land
• Rural
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

The barn appears to sit alone on a lot demarcated by Cooper Lane to the west, woodland to the south and east, and small tract of open space to the north. The area surrounding the site is residential, open space and woodland.

Building Typology

• New England

Materials

• Vertical Siding

Structural System

• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Tin

Roof type

• Gable

Approximate Dimensions

n/a

Date Compiled

08/17/2009

Compiled By

Todd Levine, reviewed by the Connecticut Trust

Sources

Photographs by Charlotte R. Hitchcock & Julie Rosen.

Sexton, James, PhD; Survey Narrative of the Connecticut Barn, Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, Hamden, CT, 2005, http://www.connecticutbarns.org/history.

Visser, Thomas D.,Field Guide to New England Barns and Farm Buildings, University Press of New England, 1997.

Map of Coventry, CT, retrieved on July 12, 2011 from website www.bing.com/maps.