64 Wolcott Street, Bristol (Western Uplands) | Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 2 ½ - story two-bay eave-entry barn with two shed-roof additions encompassing the entire lengths of its west and east gable-ends. The shed-roof addition on the east gable-end of the barn appears to be a later addition. The ridge line of the barn runs east-west parallel to Lawndale Avenue but perpendicular to Wolcott Street. The two-bay south eave-side of the barn facing Lawndale Avenue is the main façade with two main entrances; one each in each bay. The main entrance in the first bay from the east is through a pair of exterior-hung horse-shoe track sliding wagon doors while the main entrance in the second bay from the east is through a pair of hinged wagon doors. The second floor level of the south eave-façade has a hinged hay-door at the center with blacksmith hardware. The south side-wall of the shed-roof addition encompassing the entire length of the west gable-end of main barn is flush with the south eave-façade and has an entrance at the center through an exterior-hung hooded sliding wagon door. The south side-wall of the shed-roof on the east gable-end of the barn is flush with the south eave-façade and has an open bay. The east gable-end of the barn has a four-pane arched window at the center with trim at the sill level.

The wooden frames of the barn and the shed-roof additions have vertical siding walls. The gable-roof of the barn has tin roofing.

Historical significance:

The oldest barns still found in the state are called the “English Barn,” “side-entry barn,” “eave entry,” or a 30 x 40. They are simple buildings with rectangular plan, pitched gable roof, and a door or doors located on one or both of the eave sides of the building based on the grain warehouses of the English colonists’ homeland. The name “30 by 40” originates from its size (in feet), which was large enough for 1 family and could service about 100 acres. The multi-purpose use of the English barn is reflected by the building’s construction in three distinct bays - one for each use. The middle bay was used for threshing, which is separating the seed from the stalk in wheat and oat by beating the stalks with a flail. The flanking bays would be for animals and hay storage.

The wagon door entrance, lesser number of windows and the proximity of the barn to the main residence suggests the probable usage of the barn as a carriage house.

Until the 1830s, the horses used for riding and driving carriages were often kept in the main barn along with the other farm animals. By the 1850s, some New England farmers built separate horse stables and carriage houses. Early carriage houses were built just to shelter a carriage and perhaps a sleigh, but no horses. The pre-cursor to the twentieth-century garage, these outbuildings are distinguished by their large hinged doors, few windows, and proximity to the dooryard.
The combined horse stable and carriage house continued to be a common farm building through the second half of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth century, until automobiles became common. Elaborate carriage houses were also associated with gentlemen farms and country estates of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Another form of carriage barn, the urban livery stable, served the needs of tradespeople.

Field Notes

This barn with vertical siding and a tin roof is located in a high density residential area. The two family house on the property was built in 1871.

Use (Historic)

carriage barn

Use (Present)

unknown

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

Environment features

Relationship to surroundings

The .77 acres property, Account number – 0137952 and Map-Lot-unit number - 16/ / 120/ /, is a corner plot located towards the west of Wolcott Street and the north of Lawndale Avenue. The property is situated in a residential area flanked by other residential plots towards its north, west, south and the east, across the road in the respective directions. The area towards the northwest is covered by dense woodland with a stream of water flowing through it.

The barn is located in the northeastern corner of the property with its ridge line running east-west parallel to Lawndale Avenue but perpendicular to Wolcott Street. The circa 1871 multi-family main residence is located towards the east of the barn nearer to Wolcott Street. A small gable-roof shed with its ridge line running east-west is located towards the southwest of the barn. The property is accessed by a driveway from the southeast corner continuing towards the main residence along the south eave-side of the barn.

Building Typology

Approximate Dimensions

Barn: 480 Sqft; Carport: 200 Sqft; Shed: 255 Sqft;

Date Compiled

03/25/2011

Compiled By

T. Levine and M. Patnaik, reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Field notes and photographs provided by: Cherie Robinson, 03/25/2011.

Assessors’ records retrieved on April 26th, 2011 from website http://data.visionappraisal.com/BristolCT/DEFAULT.asp.

Photograph/Information retrieved on April 26th, 2011 from website http://www.google.com.

Photograph/Information retrieved on April 26th, 2011 from website http://www.bing.com.

Photograph/Information retrieved on April 26th, 2011 from website http://www.zillow.com.

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.

Barn Record Bristol