Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural Description:

This is a 2½ story gable-entry barn with a double-height hinged door as the main entry on the left side of the front gable-facade. Centered on the first floor to the right of the main entrance is a hinged pass-through door. A second pass-through door is in the right corner of the front gable-facade. Centered on the second floor of the front gable-facade is a hinged haymow door with a wooden louvered vent above in the attic gable.

The right eave-facade appears to have two windows on the first floor with a pass-through door, in-between and a haymow door off-center, on the second floor.

The rear gable-facade has a wooden louvered vent centered in the attic gable. The rear gable-facade has board and batten siding while the other facades have vertical siding.

There appears to be a window on the right side of the left eave-facade, closest to the front gable-facade.

The barn has vertical siding and board-and-batten siding that is painted red. The barn has an asphalt shingle roof.  The barn appears to have a mortared fieldstone foundation.

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.

Field Notes

This charming group of barns and out buildings appears to be New England Type with Vertical siding and many individual details. Barn and outbuildings in a residential area, appear to have been recently restored. Corncrib.

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• gentleman

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Barn
• Other

Environment features

• Open Land
• Residential
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

A corn crib and an agricultural building are left of the barn. It is situated behind the associated house, set back on property with its ridgeline running perpendicular to the street. Open land is east of the barn with woodland areas north of the barn.

Building Typology

• New England

Materials

• Board & Batten
• Fieldstone
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle
• Wood Shingle

Roof type

• Gable

Approximate Dimensions

FGR1--GARAGE-AVE - (576 S.F.), BRN3-- STORY W/LOFT (704 S.F. ), SHD1--SHED FRAME - (154 S.F.)

Date Compiled

07/13/2010

Compiled By

S. Lessard and T. Levine, reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Assessors Online Database. Account Number: C0072700, MBLU : 67/ 58/ 25/ /, http://data.visionappraisal.com/ClintonCT/findpid.asp?iTable=pid&pid=4541. 7/14/2010.

Photographs and field notes by JoAnna Chapin (joannachapin13@gmail.com) and Marye Wagner- 2/4/2010

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.