Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½-story gable-roofed structure oriented with its ridge-line parallel to Maple Avenue, which runs north-south.  The east eave-side has three bays.  The center and north bays of the east eave-side of the barn are modern overhead garage doors.  The northern-most half of the south bay of the east eave-façade of the barn has a modern six-panel pass-through door.  A hay door is located above the center bay garage door under a centered wall dormer. Located in the gable attic of the north gable-end of the barn is a twelve-pane fixed window.  The west eave-side is blank.  Located in the gable attic of the south gable-end of the barn is a twelve-pane fixed window.  The rest of this side is blank. The barn has vertical siding and decorative corner boards painted gray. The doors on the east eave-façade of the barn are white. The roof has a projecting overhang and asphalt shingles. 

Historical significance:

Until the 1830s, the horses used for riding and driving carriages were often kept in the main barn along with the other farm animals. By the 1850s, some New England farmers built separate horse stables and carriage houses. Early carriage houses were built just to shelter a carriage and perhaps a sleigh, but no horses. The pre-cursor to the twentieth-century garage, these outbuildings are distinguished by their large hinged doors, few windows, and proximity to the dooryard.

The combined horse stable and carriage house continued to be a common farm building through the second half of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth century, until automobiles became common. Elaborate carriage houses were also associated with gentlemen farms and country estates of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Another form of carriage barn, the urban livery stable, served the needs of tradespeople.

Field Notes

n/a

Use (Historic)

• carriage barn

Use (Present)

• workspace

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Barn
• Carriage House
• Garage
• Other

Environment features

• Commercial
• High Density
• Residential

Relationship to surroundings

The barn at 219 Maple is behind and to the west of the c. 1880 2 12-story house it is associated with. The ridge-line of the house is oriented east-west, perpendicular to the road and to the ridge-line of the barn. The house has a 2-story wing extending south with a double-height bay window in the south gable-end.  A contemporary garage structure sits between the house and the barn.  To the north and west of the barn at 219 Maple is a large commercial building and barn complex. A large asphalt parking lot is located to the south and north of all the barns.  The combined total size of the site is 1.83 acres. The area surrounding the site is commercial and residential.

Building Typology

• Carriage House
• English

Materials

• Vertical Siding

Structural System

• Wood Frame

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Gable

Approximate Dimensions

Approximately 30ft. x 25ft.

Date Compiled

03/20/2011

Compiled By

A. Ehrgott & T. Levine; reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Field notes and photographs by Kristen Young date 08/11/2010.

Town of Cheshire Assessor’s Record:
http://www.prophecyone.us/fieldcard.php?property_id=2170960
Parcel ID: 0582400

Aerial Mapping:
http://www.bing.com/maps accessed 03/19/2011.

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.