Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural Description:

This is a two-barn complex comprising of a L-shaped barn complex, Barn-I, towards the north and another 1 ½- story gable-entry barn with a gable-roof addition, Barn-II, towards the south-west.

Barn-I: This is a L-shaped barn complex comprising of a 1 ½ - story gable-entry main barn with a shed-roof addition encompassing the entire length of the its south eave-side and another 1 – story five-bay gable-roof barn attached to its south-east corner. The ridge line of the main barn runs east-west parallel to the road while that of the gable-roof addition runs north-south, perpendicular to it.

Main Barn: The north eave-side of the main barn faces Melrose Road while the main façade of the barn is the east gable-façade with two main entrances through two overhead garage doors. The apex of the roof of the main east gable-façade projects out to form a hay hood. The north eave-side of the barn appears to have four equally spaced windows towards the west. The west gable-side of the barn has a pass-through door off-centered towards the south and a nine-pane window centered in the gable attic. A brick chimney can be seen on the west gable-side off-centered towards the north. The south eave-side of the shed-roof addition on the south eave-side of the main barn has two entrances towards the west through two overhead garage doors and four open-bays towards the east. Two metal ventilators can be seen equally spaced along the ridge line of the barn.
The original wooden frame of the barn with vertical siding has been renovated with fly ash block masonry walls. The barn has asphalt shingle roofing.

Gable-roof addition: The 1 –story gable-roof addition on the south-eastern corner of the main barn appears to be older and has five open bays along its west eave-side. The south gable-side of the barn is blank with a distinct dropped girt siding divide line separating the gable attic above.
The wooden frame of the barn is supported on un-coursed rubble masonry. The barn has vertical siding walls and asphalt shingle roofing.

Barn-II: This is a 1 ½ - story gable-entry barn with a gable-roof addition on its east eave-side. The ridge line of the barn runs north-south perpendicular to that of Barn-I and Melrose Road. The barn with fly ash masonry walls and asphalt shingle roofing appears to be a recent construction.

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, as both types continued to be built.

Field Notes

New England barn with asphalt siding, probably a dairy barn; wood-sided barn, possibly a tobacco shed.

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• unknown

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Barn
• Shed

Environment features

• Active Agriculture
• Open Land
• Residential
• Rural
• Scattered Buildings
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

The 32.45 acres property, Map number - 10 53 002, is a corner plot towards the south of Melrose Road and the west of East Road. It is situated in a pre-dominantly residential area of rural character. Residential plots and dense woodland can be seen towards the south of the property while parcels of farm land can be seen towards the north across Melrose Road. Plot number 215, which is on the National Register, is located towards the north-east of the property across Melrose Road.

The L-shaped barn complex, Barn-I, is located in the north-eastern corner of the property. The ranch style circa 1945 main residence is towards further north-east, nearer to Melrose Road. A gable-roof shed can be seen towards the north of the barn while Barn-II is located towards the south-west. The ridge line of Barn-I runs east-west parallel to Melrose Road while that of Barn-II runs north-south. A few sheds, green houses and other out buildings can be seen scattered towards the south of both the barns. Parcels of farm land with active agriculture can be seen toward the south and the west of the property.

Building Typology

• New England

Materials

• Asphalt Siding
• Other
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

• Load-bearing Masonry
• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Gable
• Shed

Approximate Dimensions

n/a

Date Compiled

09/27/2010

Compiled By

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

Sources

Photographs and field-notes provided by –
Todd Levine, tlevine@cttrust.org

Assessors’ records retrieved on September 27th , 2010 from website http://www.totalvaluation.com/

GIS information retrieved on September 27th , 2010 from website http://www.crcog.org/gissearch/

Information retrieved on September 27th, 2010 from website http://www.google.com

Photograph/ Information retrieved on September 27th, 2010 from website http://www.zillow.com

O’Gorman, James F., Connecticut Valley Vernacular: the Vanishing Landscape and Architecture of the New England Tobacco Fields, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002, 144 pages.

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.