Barn Record West Haven

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Building Name (Common)
Levy Family Fire Investigation Laboratory - U. of New Haven
Building Name (Historic)
n/a
Address
381 Orange Avenue (Rte 1), West Haven
Typology
Overview

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 ½-story gable-roofed bank barn structure with its ridge-line oriented east-west. The main entry façade is the north-facing eave-side which has doors at grade at the main level. The barn appears to have 4 bays; from left (east) to right, in the 1st bay there is a pass-through door, in the 2nd and 3rd overhead garage doors, and in the 4th (west) a pass-through door. At both the outer bays, some patching of siding at the door heads, and a ramp abutting the wall at grade, suggest earlier wider doors.

The east gable-end has exposed mortared fieldstone foundation as the grade slopes down toward the south. There is one boarded-up basement window in the foundation, off-center toward the right (north). In the main level there is a six-pane stable window off-center toward the right (north). In the attic near the peak is a boarded-up window opening with trim and sill.

The south eave-side has grade-level access to the basement. A 3-foot high concrete retaining wall at the southeast corner makes the grade transition. The basement-level exterior wall is sheathed in vertical siding. At the right (east) corner is a pair of out-swinging barn or garage-type doors with eight glass panes in the upper part and four panels below. The heads of these appear to project higher than the main floor level. To the left (west) at the center is a pair of short out-swinging hinged doors. Across the head of these is a horizontal trim board extending to the left (west) corner. At the main level there are four six-pane stable windows, somewhat irregularly spaced.

The west gable-end has exposed mortared fieldstone foundation as the grade slopes down from north to south. At the main level there is a six-pane stable window toward the left (north) and a pair of six-pane stable windows toward the right (south). In the attic gable near the peak is a six-pane window.

Siding is vertical flush-board with window trim and a horizontal trim board at the floor level. The roof has overhangs on all sides and eave and rake fascia boards. Roofing is diamond-shaped interlocking asphalt shingles in poor condition. There is a cupola with a gable roof aligned with the main roof. The sides of the cupola are covered in siding.


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.

The 19th century 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 into 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 faces Prudden St, West Haven, CT 06516, USA‎ 41.292971,-72.962407 The University of New Haven (UNH) was founded in 1920 as the New Haven YMCA Junior College, a division of Northeastern University. The college offered instruction in business and engineering to local students. The university also owed much to Yale University, for the use of its buildings and laboratories and for the assistance of its faculty and graduate students for nearly forty years. The university acquired the former New Haven County Orphanage complex (now known as Ellis C. Maxcy Hall) in West Haven in 1960. With a campus consisting of three buildings – Maxcy Hall, the Gate House, and a Student Services building – the university embarked on an aggressive building program throughout the 1960s. In 1965 the first building to be completed was the Student Center, now known as Bartels Hall. The construction of Buckman Hall and dormitories followed, and UNH continues to develop its campus to this day.

Use & Accessibility

Use (Historic)

Use (Present)


Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Environment

Related features

Environment features

Relationship to surroundings

This barn is located on the east side of Prudden Street, on a 1.1-acre parcel owned by the University of New Haven (UNH). The barn is at the northwest corner of the site, to the north of a 2-story brick building (Echlin Hall) that faces US Route 1, the Boston Post Road (aka Orange Avenue). To the south of the street is the main campus of UNH. To the north is a residential area of 20th-century single family homes and also the athletic facilities for UNH. The barn and adjacent area are on a rocky hill overlooking the lowland toward New Haven Harbor to the east. The barn abuts the sidewalk along its west side and is surrounded by asphalt paving on the other three sides.

Typology & Materials

Building Typology

Materials


Structural System

Roof materials


Roof type


Approximate Dimensions

20 x 50 feet

Source

Date Compiled

06/03/2011

Compiled By

Charlotte Hitchcock

Sources

Field notes and photographs by Charlotte Hitchcock 6/03/2011.

West Haven Assessor’s Record and GIS Viewer: http://www.westhavengis.com/ags_map/
Parcel ID: 060/0091/0/0000
Acres: 1.1 Brick bldg date: 1929

Aerial Mapping:
http://www.bing.com/maps accessed 6/03/2011.

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.

PhotosClick on image to view full file