Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½-story three-bay gable-roofed gable-entry barn with a one-story gable-roofed addition extending from the west gable-end. The original main gable-end facade faces east, with the ridgeline running east-west, perpendicular to Geer Mountain Road. The original main entry, which appears to have been a sliding door, is not in use. To the north of the door is a hinged pass-through door with wood trim. Above the barn door is a hinged double hayloft door. There is a six-over-six double hung window with wood trim in the gable-attic and a girt line siding divide terminating at the eaves. There is a pass-through opening on the addition where the gable-end extends beyond the north side of the barn.

The south eave-side of the barn consists of a modern overhead garage door in the central bay, an identical overhead door in the east bay, and a Dutch pass-through door in the west bay. There is a hinged hayloft door above the central garage door and a basketball net and backboard attached to the wall on the west side. The south eave-end of the addition appears to be a horse barn with two open bays and two half-height hinged gates on each bay. The addition is offset from the barn to the north. The west gable-end of the original barn contains a six-pane window with wood trim in the gable-attic. The west gable-end of the addition is blank. Along the first floor of the north eave-side are three six-over-six windows with wood trim that appear to have inward tilting bottom sash. There appears to be a sliding hay door under the eave toward the east side of this façade. There is a modern electrical meter and wires along the east side. The north side of the addition appears to be blank. The barn and addition foundations appear to be modern concrete. The gable roofs are clad with asphalt shingles. The ridgeline of the addition terminates at the girt line siding divide of the barn. The original barn is clad in flush-board while the addition appears to be clad in plywood.

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, as both types continued to be built.

Field Notes

Continuation of 140 Geer Mountain Road - historically the same farm. also shown on map as Hidden Hollow Road. Small New England barn. Post and beam 25 X 37 with a shed addition about the same dimensions. Gable roof, asphalt shingles, vertical siding. Not visible from the road.

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• equestrian

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

n/a

Environment features

• Active Agriculture
• Residential
• Rural
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

This barn is located on a 5.72- acre property on the east side of Geer Mountain Road, at the eastern terminus of Hidden Hollow Road. The ridgeline of the barn runs perpendicular to a c.1800 colonial style house to the east. Irving Pond is to the south on the property. The area, located about five miles south of Kent center, consists of rural, agricultural, and light residential land with rolling hills.

Building Typology

• English
• English/New England Hybrid

Materials

• Flush-board
• Plywood
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

• Post & Beam
• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Gable

Approximate Dimensions

25 X 37 ft.

Date Compiled

02/21/2011

Compiled By

W. Davey & T. Levine, reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Field notes and photographs by Dick Lindsey 08/27/2010

Town of Kent Assessor’s Record or GIS Viewer: http://data.visionappraisal.com/KentCT/print.asp?pid=100582

Parcel ID: 100582
MBLU : 11/ 34/ 42/ / /

Aerial Mapping:
http://maps.google.com
http://www.bing.com/maps accessed 02/21/2011

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.