Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

• Local Historic District
• National Register
• State Register

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½ story, two-bay carriage barn with a shed-roofed addition. The main eave-façade faces northwest towards North Cove Road, which runs approximately northwest-southeast. The main entry is a pair of interior X braced doors, accessed by a cement ramp in the southern half of the façade. Centered in the northern half of the façade is a six-over-six, double hung windows with shutters. Centered above the eave in the roof is a window dormer with a pair of six-over-six, double hung windows with shutters. The north gable façade has a pair of six-over-six, double hung windows on the main level and a second pair above, all four with shutters.  Slightly off center is a chimney that extends over the roof, with a lightening rod attached. The east eave-façade has the shed-roofed addition, which spans the entire length of the barn. A second shed-roofed addition comes off the first addition and is enclosed by a fence. The barn is clad in clapboards painted white. The roof is covered in asphalt shingles and has exposed rafter tails on the eaves and projecting overhangs with soffits on the gable-ends. A louvered cupola is centered atop the ridge of the roof at the cross of the dormer.

Historical significance:

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

The carriage barn is on the estate that belonged to a sea captain, John Ingraham, with the house dated to 1810. The carriage barn is of post & beam construction with clapboard siding and an asphalt shingle roof. Interior center beam measures 8"x10"& side beams 10"x10". It has a basement, a dormer and a cupola. Over the years, it has had many uses, housing carriages, horses & cows, possibly sheep, used as a machine shop in WW1 and a cannery in WWII. It is currently used for storage & an addition is underway. Original details of the structure have been maintained and new construction is duplicating the original designs. The property is documented in the North Cove Historical Society of Old Saybrook. It was originally surrounded by agricultural fields, including that for cucumbers, with a well and irrigation lines that fed the fields. The carriage barn is visible from the road & is now in a residential neighborhood with a splendid view of the North Cove of the Connecticut River. Located in the North Cove National Register Historic District and is a contributing resource within the district. Listed on National Register nomination as being built in c. 1880. Also located in the North Cove Local Historic District.

Use (Historic)

• carriage barn

Use (Present)

• storage

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Original Site

Related features

n/a

Environment features

• Residential

Relationship to surroundings

The carriage house is set directly south of the main house, separated by a large yard. The area is dense residential and across the street to the north and west is a body of water called the North Cove.

Building Typology

• Carriage House

Materials

• Clapboard

Structural System

• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Gable

Approximate Dimensions

675 sq ft

Date Compiled

07/14/2010

Compiled By

Todd Levine and the Connecticut Trust

Sources

Field notes and photographs by Cherie Robinson.

Cunningham, Jan, North Cove National Register Historic District Nomination No. 94000766, National Park Services, 1994.

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.

Town of Old Saybrook assessors: www.ceo.fando.com/oldsaybrook.

Local Historic District - North Cove Road Historic District, 1984:
http://www.historicdistrictsct.org/maps/HistPropList_3.htm - accessed 6/19/2012.