Historic Significance
Architectural description:
This is a 3 1/2 story shingle style gambrel bank barn. The main eave-facade faces south-west. Joshuatown Road runs approximately west-east until it angles to the south right after the barn to the east. The south-west eave-facade is arranged with a center bay flanked by two larger bays on each side, separated by wide pilasters. The first level pilasters are clad in stone and the other floors are clad in wood shingles. The main entry in the middle bay is a pair arched swinging hinged doors with multi-pane top halves. The second level has a multi-pane Palladian window. The third level has a gambrel dormer with a multi-pane Palladian window. Above the dormer centered on the top of the roof is a two-tiered cupola. Along the ridgeline to the south east is of the cupola is a chimney. A smaller chimney is towards the north-west end of the structure. The flanking bays at the first level have two pairs of twenty-over-twenty double hung windows each, as does the outer-most bays. The mortared field foundation runs under the water and covers the pilasters on this first level. The rest of the first level is wood shingles. The second level flanking the middle bay has three (a pair and a single) twenty-over-twenty double hung windows each, as does the outer-most bays. Wood shingles sheath the rest of the facade under the eave line. The north-west gable is built into a bank. The south-east gable-facade has four pairs of six-over-six double hung windows on the first level; four pairs of six-over-six double hung windows on the second level; two six-over-six double hung windows on the third level and a small vent under the apex of the roof in the gable attic. The roof has two shed-roofed dormers above the bents between the outermost bays and the inner bays of the eave-facades, each with a pair of multi-pane double hung windows. The roof has asphalt shingles.
Historic significance:
The 19th century saw the introduction of the Gentleman's barn. While many farmers were striving for efficiency to compete with farms in the middle of the country, a new type of farmstead appeared in Connecticut: the gentleman's farm. These barns were frequently designed by famous architects and were part of giant complexes that combined the luxury of a weekend retreat with the grit of a working farm.
This example has been adaptively re-used as a home.
Field Notes
This is a prime example of a gentleman farmer's barn from the beginning of the 20th century. The building skillful execution in the shingle style has prompted speculation that it may have been designed by McKim, Mead & White. Research into Leland Roth's _The architecture of McKim, Mead & White, 1870-1920 : a building list_ and the Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals has yet to turn up an architect for the building. It is known that it was constructed for Dr. John Morgan as part of a much larger complex. A carriage house from the original estate (and with matching doors) can be seen further down Joshuatown Road at "Grey Rocks."