Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:
The main barn here is a 1 and 1/2 story gable entry barn with an attached shed-roofed addition.  The town assessors office lists only one barn, built in 1955, measuring 24’ x 24’ with a 12’ x 18’ attached shed. A hay barn behind the gable entry barn appears to fit the bill. The gable entry barn has a sliding door along the (front) east gable side, with the opening on the south half of the facade. There is also a hay door and hay fork extension as well as two flanking windows on the second floor of the front facade. The shed-roofed addition continues the entire length of the roof on the south side and has three window openings. The barn and attached shed are on a concrete foundation and both have vertical siding.

Historical significance:
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. 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.

Attached sheds are built connected to a larger structure and as such only require three walls and a single slope of a roof.

Field Notes

2 barns, one is New England with an attached shed on the long side, the other is not readily visible at the rear of the first. Horses visible in the field.

Use (Historic)

• unknown

Use (Present)

• equestrian

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Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Barn

Environment features

• Active Agriculture
• Open Land
• Residential
• Rural

Relationship to surroundings

n/a

Building Typology

• New England

Materials

• Vertical Siding

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Structural System

• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

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Roof type

• Gable
• Shed

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Approximate Dimensions

n/a

Date Compiled

08/24/2009

Compiled By

Todd Levine

Sources

Photographs by Charlotte R. Hitchcock & Julie Rosen
Town of Coventry assessor’s office
Visser, Thomas D.,Field Guide to New England Barns and Farm Buildings, University Press of New England,1997.