Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½ – story low-pitch six-bay gable-entry bank barn with the bank along its south eave-side. The ridge line of the barn runs east-west parallel to this portion of Manginnis Parkway but almost perpendicular to Wilson Avenue. The west gable-end of the barn facing Wilson Avenue is the main façade with the main entrance at the center through a pair of exterior-hung double-height double X-braced sliding wagon doors with a one-over-six double-hung sash window towards its south. A brick chimney can be seen towards the north of the main entrance flanked by a two-pane window on its south and a single-pane window towards the north. The gable attic is separated from the rest of the façade by a distinct siding divide line and has a louvered vent just below the apex of the roof. The grade level along the main west gable-façade of the barn slopes steeply around its southwest corner to form the bank along the south eave-side. The bank level of the six-bay south eave-side of the barn has three entrances centered in the first three bays from the east through three over-head garage doors. Two four-pane square windows can be seen at the bank level, one each in the second and the third bay from the west. The first floor level of the south eave-side of the barn has a smaller four-pane window towards the eastern edge. The loose earth towards the extreme east of the bank level is retained by un-coursed stone masonry.

The barn has cement plastered masonry at the bank level which supports the wooden frame of the main structure. A brick chimney can be seen along the west gable-façade. The barn has vertical siding walls and asphalt shingle roofing.

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.
The 19th century also saw 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.

Field Notes

Barn visible from the street.

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• workspace

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Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

n/a

Environment features

• Residential
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

The 1.36 acres property, Account number – 0390100 and Map number- 161, is a Z-shaped corner plot located towards the north of Maginnis Parkway and the east of Wilson Avenue. The property is situated in a residential area surrounded by residential plots in all directions with dense woodland towards the northeast.

The barn is located towards the southern edge of the property, encircled by a driveway. The ridge line of the barn runs east-west parallel to Maginnis Parkway. The circa 1900 cape style main residence is located towards the west of the barn nearer to Wilson Avenue while dense woodland covers the area towards the north.

Building Typology

• New England Bank

Materials

• Brick
• Cobblestone
• Concrete
• Vertical Siding

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Structural System

• Load-bearing Masonry
• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

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Roof type

• Gable

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Approximate Dimensions

n/a

Date Compiled

03/09/2011

Compiled By

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

Sources

Field notes and photographs provided by: Kathya Landeros and William Auwood, 03/30/2010

Assessors’ records retrieved on March 9th, 2011 from website http://www.equalitycama.com

Photograph/Information retrieved on March 9th, 2011 from website http://www.google.com

Photograph/Information retrieved on March 9th, 2011 from website http://www.bing.com.

Photograph/Information retrieved on March 9th, 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.