Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 1/2-story, semi-subterranean, gambrel-roofed barn with a shed-roofed addition. The main facade faces southwest and the ridge-line of the barn is perpendicular to Kreyssig Road, which runs southeast-northwest. The main entry is a pair of swinging hinged doors in the center of the southwest gable-facade.  In the gable attic, midway between the girt line siding divide and the apex of the roof is a rectangular frame that is boarded from the inside. Beneath the apex of the roof is a vent. Extending south from the south corner of the barn is a concrete retaining wall. To the east of the retaining wall the grade inclines sharply. The southeast eave-side of the barn is under a hill. A sliver of concrete masonry is visible of the wall under the eave on the southeast eave-side. Towards the east corner of the southeast eave-side of the barn is a gable-roofed wall dormer with a pass-trough door. The grade level rises slightly at the northeast gable-side of the barn and the main level is completely underground; just the gable attic remains visible. Extending to the northwest from the northwest eave-side of the barn is a shed-roofed addition with its ends flush with the gable-sides of the main barn. The northeast side of the addition is entirely underground. The grade drops sharply just past the addition at the north corner towards the southwest, revealing the main level of the addition, which appears blank except for a gable-roofed addition that extends to the northwest. The southwest side of the addition has a pass-through door and an overhead garage door.

The barn has concrete masonry in the main level and vertical siding in the gable attics, both materials are painted red with white trim. The roof has asphalt shingles.

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.

The gambrel roof design was universally accepted for ground-level stable barns as it enclosed a much greater volume than a gable roof did, and its shape could be formed with trusses that did not require cross beams, which would interfere with the movement and storage of hay. Also known as the curb roof, the double slopes of the gambrel offer more volume in the hayloft without increasing the height of the side walls.

Field Notes

n/a

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• agriculture

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Garage
• Other
• Shed

Environment features

• Active Agriculture
• Open Land
• Residential
• Rural
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

The barn is besides and to the northwest of the house it is associated with. The ridge-line of the house is parallel to the ridge-line of the barn. A driveway separates the house from the barn. To the southeast of the house is a yard and a fence demarcating the southeast corner of the site. To the north of the barn is a cement walled staging area for farming equipment. In the north corner of the area is a three bay pole barn. To the north are large tracts of open space in this 36.23 acres site. The area surrounding the site is residential, active agriculture, open space and woodland.

Building Typology

• Gambrel
• New England

Materials

• Concrete
• Vertical Siding

Structural System

n/a

Roof materials

• Asphalt Shingle

Roof type

• Gambrel

Approximate Dimensions

45' x 118', addition is 44' x 118'.

Date Compiled

08/27/2010

Compiled By

Todd Levine, reviewed by the Connecticut Trust

Sources

Photographs by Todd Levine.

Map of East Windsor, CT, retrieved on August 27, 2010 from website www.zillow.com.

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.

The Capitol Region Council of Governments website. http://www.crcog.org/gissearch/

eQuality Valuation Services, LLC Database. http://www.eastwindsor-ct.gov/Public_Documents/EWindsorCT_Assessor/index.