Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Historical background:

The Holmes-Dorman House and Barn are primarily significant for their association with the Dorman family. Samuel A.Dorman (1880-1943), the head of the family, was a Jewish immigrant who originally came from Lithuania. Dorman owned the property by around 1920 andstruggled to make his dairy farm pay. The family lived here and farmed until after Samuel Dorman’s death; in 1944 they sold and moved to Hartford (Cunningham, p. 177-178.

Field Notes

Jewish Farms and Resorts - documentation by Cunningham and Ransom. Barn converted to residence; garage addition on east aligns with roof line.

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• residence

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Garage
• Garden

Environment features

• Open Land
• Residential
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

This property is located to the west of 480 New Britain Avenue, and was similarly a farm owned by a Jewish immigrant family in the early- to mid-20th century. The house at 566 New Britain Avenue and the barn at 578 were associated until at some time after 1944 they were subdivided and the barn converted to a residence. An addition at the east side aligns with the roof line and contains a garage. A separate free-standing garage is located southwest of the barn/house.
The immediate neighborhood consists of former farmland that has been developed with residential subdivisions during the late 20th century.

Building Typology

• English Bank

Materials

• Board & Batten
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Saltbox

Approximate Dimensions

40 feet x 40 feet

Date Compiled

12/03/2010

Compiled By

Charlotte Hitchcock

Sources

Rocky Hill Assessors Record:
Parcel ID: 11//25 .57 acre, 40 x 40 feet, built 1850.

Aerial views from:
http://maps.google.com/
http://www.bing.com/maps/ accessed 11/30/2010.

Cunningham, Janice, and Ransom, David; Back to the Land: Jewish Farms and Resorts in Connecticut 1890-1945, State of Connecticut Historical Commission and Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford, 1998, 186 pages, pp. 176-179.

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.