206 State Avenue, Killingly (Eastern Uplands) | Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 1/2-story gable-entry bank barn with a 1-story, shed-roof addition extending off the full width of the northeast side of the main block. The main facades faces southeast and the ridge-line of the barn is roughly parallel to this portion of State Avenue, which runs approximately southeast-northwest.

The main entry is not visible in photographs, but based on aerial maps appears to be an overhead garage door, centered in the southeast, gable-end of the main block of the barn. There appears to be a pass-through door to the west of the garage door and a double-hung window at the attic level, centered in the gable peak. It is not possible to determine from aerial maps whether the southeast side of the addition has any window or door openings.

The grade at the southwest, eave-side of the barn declines sharply to reveal a basement level. A fieldstone retaining wall extends south off the south corner of the barn. A pair of swinging, hinged doors is located in the center of the southwest, eave-side of the barn, at the basement level. A group of four, six-pane windows are located immediately to the south of the doors, near the south corner. There is another group of four six-pane windows located immediately to the west of the doors. There are two windows at the first-floor level: a four-over-one, double-hung window centered over the doors and what appears to be a six-pane window toward the west corner.

The northwest, gable-end of the barn has a pass-through door located at the basement level, at the west corner. Immediately to the north of the door, a parged stone retaining wall extends out from the barn, toward the northwest, and the grade inclines sharply. There is a series of eleven window openings to the northeast of the retaining wall; most appear to consist of six-panes. A pair of two-pane windows are located in the center of the first-floor level of the northwest gable-end of the barn; they appear to be located within what used to be a large door opening, filled in with clapboard siding. A four-pane window is located to the north of the pair of windows. At the attic level of the northwest gable-end of the barn, there is a four-pane window.

The northwest side of the addition has three window openings: one square opening located toward the north corner, at the first-floor level; one small window opening located to the west of that; and a six-pane window located under the roofline, where the addition meets the main block of the barn.

The northeast side of the addition is not visible in photographs and not clearly visible in aerial maps; it is clear that the northeast half of the addition is deeper than the southeast half, but it is not possible to determine the exact configuration of door or window openings.

The barn has wood clapboard siding painted red with white trim, cornice boards and corner boards. The foundation is not visible. The roof is covered with metal and a cupola is centered atop the ridge-line. The cupola has six-pane windows in each side, and a gable-roof that is topped with a weather-vane.

Historical significance:

The New England barn or gable front barn was the successor to the English barn and relied on a gable entry rather than an entry under the eaves. The gable front offered many practical advantages. Roofs drained 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; both types continued to be constructed. The 19th century also saw the introduction of a basement under the barn to allow for the easy collection and storage of a winter’s worth of manure from the animals sheltered within the building. The bank barn is characterized by the location of its main floor above grade, either through building on a hillside or by raising the building on a foundation. This innovation, aided by the introduction of windows for light and ventilation, would eventually be joined by the introduction of space to shelter more animals under the main floor of the barn.

Field Notes

Nice old barn in the center of the village of Rogers. Currently used as an auto repair shop.

Use (Historic)

agriculture

Use (Present)

workspace

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

Environment features

Relationship to surroundings

The barn is to the southwest and in front of the c. 1980 house with which it is associated. The ridge-line of the house is perpendicular to the ridge-line of the barn. A fenced pool is located behind and to the northeast of the house. Two small sheds are located immediately adjacent to the pool: one at the northeast corner of the pool, one at the southwest. A third shed is located to the southwest of the pool. The 4.0-acre site is accessed by a drive that extends off of State Avenue and runs behind another property. The site is bound on the west by a pond. The area surrounding the site is mostly residential, including some relatively dense subdivisions. The Rogers Corporation is located to the southwest, on the other side of State Avenue.

Parcel ID: 002063

Building Typology

New England Bank

Materials

Structural System

n/a

Roof materials

Metal

Roof type

Gable
Shed

Approximate Dimensions

1440 square feet, 36' x 40'

Date Compiled

04/01/2011

Compiled By

J. M. Doherty & T. Levine; reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Field notes and photographs by Mike Green, 06/29/2010.

Town of Killingly Assessor’s Record:
http://killingly.ias-clt.com/parcel.list.php

Town of Killingly GIS Viewer:
http://www.caigisonline.net/killinglyct/