Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a good example of a contemporary pole barn. The barn stands in an open field at a distance to the west from the house. The property is on a private drive (the former Frisbee Road) running north off Davenport Road. Features include: 44 x 36; peak-roofed barn stands with its gable ends to the north and south; exterior rolling doors at both gable ends; fenestration consists of 6-pane tilt windows with canted lintels (4 on long sides; 2 at gables); boxed cornice; large central cupola with double-louvers on each of four sides, hipped roof; center-aisle plan; eight box stalls; concrete floor; unpainted.

Historical significance:

Most ground-level stable barns and free-stall dairy barns built since the 1970s have no hayloft. Instead, the roofs are supported by prefabricated wooden trusses covered with metal roofing. While most single-story truss-roofed barns in New England are constructed with concrete foundations and stud-framed walls, pole barns with open sides are becoming popular, especially for sheltering large herds of dairy cows, heifers, and beef cattle. Many of these large truss-roofed structures are free-stall barns, introduced in the late 1940s.

Field Notes

Information from a survey of Roxbury by Rachel Carley.

Use (Historic)

• agriculture

Use (Present)

• unknown

---

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

• Cupola

Environment features

• Open Land
• Residential
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

n/a

Building Typology

• Pole

Materials

• Concrete
• Vertical Siding

---

Structural System

• Pole Barn

Roof materials

---

Roof type

• Gable

---

Approximate Dimensions

44 x 36

Date Compiled

06/30/2011

Compiled By

Rachel D. Carley - CH

Sources

Carley, Rachel D., Barn Stories from Roxbury Connecticut, Roxbury Historic District Commission/Town of Roxbury/CT Commission on Culture & Tourism, 2010.

Cunningham, Jan, Roxbury, A Historic and Architectural Survey, Roxbury Historic District Commission, 1996-97.

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.