Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

• National Register

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½ - story barn with basement and entries from both the gable-end and the eave-side. The ridge line of the barn runs almost east-west but at an angle to Linden Point Road which runs from the southwest to the northeast. The barn is placed on a raised wooden deck which wraps it around its west gable-end and the south eave-side. The west gable-end of the barn appears to be the original main facade with the main entrance at the center. The south eave-side of barn has an entrance at the center through a hinged pass-through door replacing an original one-over-one double-hung sash window. The pass-through door is flanked by similar one-over-one double-hung sash windows on each side. All the three openings on the south eave-side of the barn have elaborate ornate trim with pediments while the eave-level is lined by decorative stick-style eave-board.  The east gable-end of the barn has an entrance to the basement towards the extreme south through a pair of cellar doors supported on cement plastered masonry and an ocular window with decorative trim centered in the gable attic. The deep overhang of the gable attic is lined by elaborate jigsawn valence. The molded porch railing of the deck has wooden balusters above a band of lattice work and is accessed by a flight of wooden steps centered on its south-side. The gable-roof of the barn has weather-vane at the center mounted above a cupola with an arched single-pane window on each side-wall.

The wooden frame of the barn has asphalt shingle roofing and grey painted horizontal clapboard siding walls with white corner boards and trim.

Historical significance:

The tool shed associated with the main house at 255 Thimble Island Road is in the NR, 97000811 NRIS, and is a contributing resource to Creek/Thimble Islands Historic District, 88002844 NRIS.

The Isaac C. Lewis Cottage was shifted on its lot in 1917; its original location was about a
hundred feet to the west. The property includes one outbuilding known as the “tool shed,” a small clapboarded barn with a simple cupola and weathervane on its gable roof. Decorative details include circular windows in the gables, flat window trim in the shape of pediments and consoles, and a simple jigsawn valence along the rakes and eaves. The tool shed, which appears behind the house in the c.1910 watercolor and has since been moved closer to Thimble Islands Road,has been adapted for use as a summer cottage with the addition of sliding doors and a modern deck on its southwest, ocean-facing elevation. Because it retains much of its original appearance and is an historic part of the cottage property, it is counted as a contributing building (Clouette, Sec. 7-4).[97000811 NRIS]

Known as the shop, workshop, carpentry shop, toolshed, blacksmith shop, or machine shop, these small, well-lighted buildings provide a heated space for making and repairing furnishings, tools, and equipment, as well as for earning outside income through various trades. Typically 1 1/2 stories with a gabled front, and easily accessible doorway, and windows all around, most shops have a chimney for venting a cast iron rood or coal stove.

Field Notes

National Register - toolshed for Isaac C. Lewis House at 255 Thimble Island Road (barn at 14 Wallace Road). Ca. 1880. Isaac Lewis Tool Shed. Late 19th-century frame building moved from original site on same lot during early 20th century, and converted for residential use ca. 1975 (Loether, Sec. 7, p. 7) [The Stony Creek/Thimble Islands Historic District is located in the southeastern corner of the Town of Branford. The district is roughly bounded on the northeast by Route 146; on the east and the southeast by Long Island Sound; and on the west by Long Island Sound, the eastern side of Pleasant Point, and the northern most portions of Thimble Islands Road. The district as a whole maintains its historic integrity to a substantial degree. Including major outbuildings (e.g., garages, barns, and boathouses), it embraces a total of 487 buildings.] [NR- 88002844 NRIS]

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• residence

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Moved

Related features

• Barn
• Cupola
• Garden
• Other

Environment features

• Residential

Relationship to surroundings

The .37 acres property, Account number – 002893 and Parcel number - J10/000/004/00009, is a corner plot towards the west of the intersection of Linden Point Road which runs from the southwest to the northeast and Thimble Island Road which runs from the northwest to the southeast. The property is located in Stony Creek/Thimble Islands Historic District, a predominantly residential area of sub-urban character near the shore line. Residential plots flank the property in all directions across the respective roads while a patch of vacant land can be seen towards the immediate north. 

The barn is located in the southwestern corner of the property with its ridge line running east-west, at an angle to Linden Point Road which runs from the southwest to the northeast. The circa 1883 barn was historically associated with the main residence at 255 Thimble Islands Road, which is located towards the south, across Linden Point Road. The edges of the property are demarcated by timber fence work while open land dotted with cluster of trees cover the rest of the property.

Building Typology

• Other Shed

Materials

• Clapboard
• Concrete

Structural System

• Load-bearing Masonry
• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Gable

Approximate Dimensions

n/a

Date Compiled

05/17/2011

Compiled By

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

Sources

Field notes provided by: Charlotte Hitchcock and John Herzan, 03/20/2011.

Assessors’ information retrieved on May 17th, 2011 from website http://data.visionappraisal.com/BranfordCT/search.asp.

GIS Map retrieved on May 17th, 2011 from website http://www.branfordgis.com/AGS_MAP/default.htm

Clouette, Bruce, Tinh, Hoang, Isaac C. Lewis Cottage National Register Nomination No. 97000811, National Park Service, 1988.
http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/97000811.pdf
http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Photos/97000811.pdf

Loether, J. Paul, Stony Creek/Thimble Islands Historic District, National Register Nomination Number- 88002844 NRIS, National Park Service, 1988.
http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/88002844.pdf
http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Photos/88002844.pdf

Photograph/Information retrieved on May 17th, 2011 from website http://www.google.com

Photograph/Information retrieved on May 17th, 2011 from website http://www.bing.com.

Photograph/Information retrieved on May 17th, 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.