Historic Barns of Connecticut

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 1 1/2-story gable-entry barn whose main facade faces south and whose rounded ridge-line is perpendicular to Hawley Road which runs primarily east-west.  The main facade has a large doorway (now boarded) with an exterior door track centered on the first floor flanked by a pass-through door on the west and a square, six-pane window (now boarded) to the east. Centered in the second floor of the main facade, the south gable-facade of the barn, is a sliding hay door with exterior track above. Continuing to the east is a 1-story addition whose rounded ridge-line runs parallel to the road and which has a pass-through door (now boarded) centered in its south eave-side.  The east eave-side of the barn appears to have at least five, most likely six,  square window openings (now boarded) evenly spaced towards the north half of the barn.  A hooded vent is located just below the eave, between the third and fourth windows from the north.  At the south corner is the 1-story addition whose east gable-side has two square windows toward the south and a pass-through door at the north corner.  The west eave-side of the barn has ten square windows evenly spaced along the first floor.  A hooded vent is located just below the eave, between the third and fourth windows from the south.  Two circular, metal vents are located at third points on the apex of the rounded ridge-line of the roof. The first floor of the barn is constructed of concrete block masonry which remains unpainted while the infill up to the round ridge-line of the roof is clad in horizontal siding.  The round roof is clad in sheet metal.

Historical significance:

The New England barn or gable front barn is 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 constructed.  The gambrel roof 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

located at Christian St.-Airport-Center Address is an approximation.

Use (Historic)

• dairy

Use (Present)

• unknown

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

n/a

Environment features

• Open Land
• Residential
• Woodland

Relationship to surroundings

This property is located north of the town of Oxford, in a rural/residential/industrial area. The barn was located on 91.83 acres of a combination of open land and woodland with one large pond.  The property is zoned industrial and is in the vicinity of the Waterbury-Oxford Airport.  The barn was set back approximately 20 feet north from Hawley Road with its main ridgeline perpendicular to the road.  Although the barn fronted Hawley Road, the property extends north to Hurley Road so that the actual address for the property is Hurley Road with no number.

Book 214, Page 898, Parcel No. 18/32/35, Account: A0006400

Building Typology

• Gambrel
• New England

Materials

• Concrete Block
• Horizontal Siding

Structural System

• Other

Roof materials

• Metal

Roof type

• Round

Approximate Dimensions

Approximately 50 x 100

Date Compiled

03/18/2011

Compiled By

R. Rothbart & T. Levine, reviewed by CT Trust

Sources

Field notes by Dottie Debisschop and photographs date 07/17/2007 and “KS” on 06/22/2007.

Town of Oxford Assessor’s Record: 
http://www.cogcnvgis.com/Oxford/ags_map/

Vision Appraisal Online Database:
http://data.visionappraisal.com/OxfordCT/
Parcel ID: 18/32/35

Aerial Mapping:
Google Earth: 8/30/2010
http://maps.google.com
http://www.bing.com/maps accessed 03/17/2011.

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.