Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½- story eave-entry barn with a gable roof.  The primary façade faces north and the barn is perpendicular in relation to Plainville Avenue, which passes this property on a nearly north to south alignment.  A 1 ½-story addition extends the full length of the barn projecting off the south side of the barn.  A full-width 1-story gable roof addition also extends off the east gable-end of the main barn.

The primary façade is the north eave-side, which contains the primary entry.  This entry consists of a pair of oversize wooden doors centered on the façade.  The remainder of the façade is blank.  The west gable-end contains a single square window opening centered in the gable attic, with no window glass present.  The remainder of this gable-end is blank.  The east gable-end end contains an identical windowless square opening within the gable.  The remainder of this wall is occupied by the adjoining single story gable-roof addition.  The east gable-end of this addition connects to a small modern greenhouse.  The two side walls of the addition are blank.  The entire south wall of the main barn is covered by the perpendicular 1 ½-story addition, which has a double catslide roof.  The west eave-wall of this addition contains a single centered double-width door entry.  The south gable-end of the addition contains five window openings on the first story, irregularly spaced.  A small window opening is present centered under the ridgeline of the roof.  The east eave-side of the addition appears to contain three small window openings.

The main barn is clad in horizontal wooden clapboard siding, unpainted.  The roof is covered in gray asphalt shingles.  A square wooden cupola is centered on the ridgeline of the main barn.  Each side contains horizontal wooden boards with space in between to ventilate the interior.  This cupola had a gable roof which is oriented parallel to the main roof and is also covered with gray shingles. 

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 gable 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 name “30 by 40” originates from its size (in feet), which was large enough for 1 family and could service about 100 acres. The multi-purpose use of the English barn is reflected by the building’s construction in three distinct bays - one for each use. The middle bay was used for threshing, which is separating the seed from the stalk in wheat and oat by beating the stalks with a flail. The flanking bays would be for animals and hay storage.

Field Notes

c.1845 The gray barns, as well as some modern plastic greenhouses, have been in the Krell family since 1922. They actively grow hay, vegetables and flowers and sell at the farm stand on the property.

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• unknown

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Shed

Environment features

• Active Agriculture
• Open Land
• Residential
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

The barn on this property runs perpendicular to Plainville Avenue and the primary entry faces north.  The farmhouse associated with this barn is located directly to the west of the 1 ½-story southern addition.  The house has an L shaped footprint and is oriented parallel to the road.  A wide 4-stall garage is located facing the west wall of the barn.  The barn is surrounded by a dirt driveway, which connects to two dirt driveways which lead to Plainville Avenue, one on each side of the garage.  Between the driveways, the road and the garage is a field of tended grass.  Grass also surrounds the farmhouse, along with a number of tall coniferous and deciduous trees.  Four ling greenhouses (one set perpendicular to the others) are located to the immediate south of the barn.  Beyond these greenhouses is a large agricultural field.  Slightly smaller agricultural fields are also present to the southeast and east of the barn.  Two additional outbuildings are located on a tangent going northeast from the barn, beyond which is another large agricultural field.  Beyond all of the aforementioned fields is a woodland of primarily deciduous trees.  A small growing field is located to the north of the barn, beyond which is a line of trees along the property line and then several residences.  To the northwest of the barn, across Plainville Avenue is a modern housing subdivision. Additional large agricultural fields are located across the road to the southeast of the farm, followed by the Westwoods Golf Course.  Scattered buildings occupy the land farther south, beyond which is Scott Swamp Road and a large new shopping plaza.

Building Typology

• English

Materials

• Clapboard
• Horizontal Siding

Structural System

n/a

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Gable
• Other

Approximate Dimensions

multiple buildings.

Date Compiled

04/11/2011

Compiled By

N. Nietering & T. Levine, reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Photographs by Linda Guernsey

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, 213 pages.

Map of Farmington, CT, retrieved on April 9, 2011 from website www.bing.com.

Farmington Assessor’s Records - online - http://www.farmington-ct.org/landrecords/search.php