Barn Record Durham

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Building Name (Common)
n/a
Building Name (Historic)
n/a
Address
196 Guilford Road, Durham
Typology
Overview

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½ - story three-bay eave-entry barn with entries from both the eave-side and the gable-side. The north eave-side and the east gable-side of the barn face Cream Pot Road which takes a ninety degree turn near the north-east corner of the barn. The main façade of the barn is the three-bay north eave-façade with the main entrance in the middle bay through a pair of hinged wagon doors with blacksmith hardware and lintel trim. The east gable-side of the barn has an entrance at the center through a pair of exterior-hung Z-braced wagon doors with a hood. The gable attic above is lined by cornice board and is separated from the rest of the gable-side by a distinct dropped girt siding divide line. The west gable-side of the barn has an entrance at the center through a double-span exterior-hung Z-braced sliding wagon door with a hood. The gable attic above is lined by cornice and is separated from the rest of the west gable-side by a distinct dropped girt siding divide line. A hip-roof cupola mounted by a weather vane can be seen at the center of the gable-roof barn. Each side of the square cupola has a pair of six-over-six double-hung sash windows with an arched lintel.
The wooden frame of the main barn is supported on cement plastered masonry foundation and un-coursed field-stone foundation. The barn has white painted vertical siding walls and asphalt shingle 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 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 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. 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. In this case, both an eave entry and a gable entry are used.
The 19th century would see 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.

The wagon door entrances, less windows, proximity to the main residence and the elaborate cupola of the barn suggest its possible usage as a carriage barn.

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 is an English/New England hybrid barn, viewable from the road and well maintained. It is Approx. 30' x 40', with vertical siding, fieldstone/concrete foundation and asphalt roofing. Use unknown, most likely storage at this time. Interior not accessible. Barn is accessed from Cream Pot Road, although house address is on Guilford Road.

Use & Accessibility

Use (Historic)

Use (Present)


Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Environment

Related features

Environment features

Relationship to surroundings

The 2.52 acres property, parcel number - S0225700 and map number 89, is a corner plot towards the east of Guilford Road (Route 77) and the south of Cream Pot Road which continues to form its eastern edge. The property is located in a predominantly residential area separated from the surrounding plots by dense woodland. Residential plots flank the property towards the south, the west across Guilford Road and the east across Cream Pot Road. A patch of open land with barns can be seen towards the north of the property.

The barn is located in the north-western corner of the property abutting to Cream Pot Road. The circa 1788 colonial main residence is located towards the south-west of the barn. The ridge line of the barn runs almost east-west parallel to Cream Pot Road while that of the main residence runs at an angle from the south-west to the north-east. Two small gable-roof sheds can be seen towards the south of the barn while an elongated stretch of water body runs along the eastern edge of the property. Dense woodland covers the southern portion of the property. 

Typology & Materials

Building Typology

Materials


Structural System

Roof materials


Roof type


Approximate Dimensions

Barn: 1836 SqFt, Circa 1900 Shed: 192 SqFt, Circa 1900 Shed: 288 SqFt, Circa 1900

Source

Date Compiled

12/13/2010

Compiled By

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

Sources

Photographs and field-notes provided by – Vin Scamporino

Assessors’ records retrieved on December 13th, 2010 from website http://durham.univers-clt.com

Map and property records retrieved on December 13th, 2010 from website http://www.townofdurhamct.org

Photograph/Information retrieved on December 13th, 2010 from website http://www.google.com

Information retrieved on December 13th, 2010 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.

PhotosClick on image to view full file