Stable (111 Ridgewood Avenue, Madison (Eastern Coastal Slope))

Designations

n/a

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

Barn 1: This is a 1 ½ story gable-roofed barn structure oriented with its ridge-line parallel to Ridgewood Avenue, which runs approximately east-west. The south eave-façade opens to grade at the main level. The main entries are a sliding door mounted on an exterior track on the west half of the south façade. A pair of swinging hinged barn doors with iron hardware on the east half of the south façade of the barn. The exterior track of the sliding door of the south façade of the barn extends the length of the both entries. A six-pane window is centered above the sliding door on the south façade of the barn. The west gable-end of the barn has centered six-pane window and a six-pane window in the gable attic. The north eave-side of the barn is blank except for what appears to be a six-pane window west half of the eave-side. The east gable-end of the barn appears a six-pane window on the north half of the gable-end and a six-pane window in the gable attic. A foundation of brick piers and vertical siding is visible on the north half of the west gable-end of the barn where the grade slopes toward the north. The foundation appears to be the same on the north eave-side and north half of the east gable-end of the barn. The barn has vertical flush-board siding on the south eave-façade and corner trim board painted gray. The north eave-side and both gable-ends are unpainted wood shingle. The roof has a projecting overhang and appears to be asphalt shingle. A weather vane is located in the center of the ridge line of the roof.

Barn 2: This is a 1 ½ story gable-roofed barn structure oriented with its ridge-line parallel to Ridgewood Avenue, which runs approximately east-west. The south eave-façade opens to grade at the main level. The main entries are a sliding door mounted on an exterior track on the east half of the south façade. A pair of swinging hinged barn doors with iron hardware on the west half of the south façade of the barn. The exterior track and hood of the sliding door of the south façade of the barn extends the length of the both entries. The west gable-end of the barn appears to be blank except for a nine-over-nine-light, double-hung sash window in the gable attic. The north eave-side of the barn appears to be blank. The east gable-end of the barn has a centered six-pane window and a nine-over-nine, double hung sash window in the gable attic. A foundation of brick piers and open vertical siding is visible north half of the east gable-end of the barn where the grade slopes toward the north. The foundation appears to be the same at the north eave-side and north half of the west gable-end of the barn. The barn has vertical flush-board siding on the south eave-façade and corner trim board painted gray. The north eave-side and both gable-ends are wood shingle painted gray. The roof has a projecting overhang and appears to be asphalt shingle. A weather vane is located in the center of the ridge line of the roof.

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 1850’s, 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.

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

gray, 2 barns side by side, both quite similar

Use (Historic)

agriculture

Use (Present)

unknown

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Demolished

n/a

Location Integrity

Unknown

Related features

Barn

Environment features

Relationship to surroundings

Barn 1: The barn is to the north of the c. 1919 Shingle-style house it is associated with. The ridge-line of the house is perpendicular to the ridge-line of the barn. To the south of the barn is Ridgewood Avenue. Extending further south is the house the barn is associated with and Long Island Sound. To the west of the barn is the second barn described in this report. Marsh land and the Neck River extend to the north of the barn. The total size of the site is 1.04 acres. The area surrounding the site is residential.

Barn 2: The barn is to the north of the c. 1850 Shingle-style house it is associated with. The ridge-line of the house is perpendicular to the ridge-line of the barn. To the south of the barn is Ridgewood Avenue. Extending further south is the house the barn is associated with and Long Island Sound. Immediately to the west of the barn is a non-associated residence. Marsh land and the Neck River extend to the north of the barn. To the east of the barn is the first barn described in this report. The total size of the site is .32 acres. The area surrounding the site is residential.

Building Typology

Materials

Approximate Dimensions

Barn 1: 432 Sq.Ft. Barn 2: 360 Sq.Ft. (original)

Date Compiled

02/19/2011

Compiled By

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

Sources

Field notes and photographs by Warner Lord date 05/14/2009.

Town of Madison Assessor’s Record:
http://data.visionappraisal.com/MadisonCT/findpid.asp?iTable=pid&pid=34
http://data.visionappraisal.com/MadisonCT/findpid.asp?iTable=pid&pid=33

Parcel ID: 00003300 (Barn 1), 00003200 (Barn 2)

Aerial Mapping:
http://www.bing.com/maps accessed 02/19/2011.

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.

Historic Barns of Connecticut

Barn Record Madison