No Buyers for $1 Barn
By Heather McMahon | Online Only | Mar. 23, 2011
A historic barn in Westport, Conn., will be razed in two weeks unless a buyer steps in and moves the building.
Used as a barn for most of its existence, the vernacular, post-and-beam, red clapboard structure was built c. 1868 and moved to its present site about 20 years later. The building may have originally functioned as a Methodist church in the neighboring town of Norwalk. When it was relocated, however, much of the original timber framing was not reassembled correctly, to Rick Benson, a general contractor representing the building's owners. Posts were cut down, beams were used as posts, and many of the original mortise and tenon joints were replaced with nails.
This inaccurate reconstruction, along with decades of modification, have compromised the structure's stability, according to Benson. "It's not cost-effective to rebuild it," Benson says. The building's frame would have to be completely rebuilt in order to pass standard regulations—a prospect that would cost approximately $50,000, he says.
The 32-by-51-foot building leans two feet off-center, and its walls bow outward. Over the last 15 years, rot has set in, and the foundation has cracked. This winter's heavy ice snapped eight of the roof rafters.
After town officials deemed the building unsafe, owners applied for a demolition permit in December, planning to replace the old structure with a new barn. Residents of Westport, concerned that their town could lose another historic structure, contacted the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation in January, which in turn contacted the barn's owners, hoping to delay demolition.
"The owners have been very cooperative," says Todd Levine, architectural historian at the Connecticut Trust. They postponed demolition and allowed the Trust to list the building on their Historic Properties Exchange Web site, advertising the barn for only $1. About 18 interested parties have contacted Benson, but with his estimated cost of $150,000 to deconstruct, move, and reconstruct the structure with a new frame and foundation, no sale was finalized.
This month Benson is negotiating with a local nonprofit organization, the Green Village Initiative, to salvage the barn door, four pairs of 10-foot-tall shutters, and some of the beams for future building projects. Benson says the owners will incorporate other elements of the old building into their house and into the new barn planned for the site, which will mimic the size and scale of the old building.
In Westport, located about 45 miles northeast of New York City, hundreds of historic houses have been torn down in recent years to make way for new houses.
Westport's Teardown of the Day
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Comments
Submitted by Betsy Wacker at: April 13, 2011
“No Buyers for $1 Barn” featured in the March 2011 online National Trust magazine was very much appreciated by the local Westport, CT Historic District Commission. Although not mentioned in the article, we were an integral part of the identification, research, and effort to preserve this c. 1868 structure. The process involved working closely with the owners, builder, project engineer, town building inspector, and the CT Trust for Historic Preservation through multiple site visits and communications. Local preservationists also stepped forward to encourage the barn’s preservation beyond these efforts. Our primary goal was to preserve this structure on site, but upon determining that it was truly not viable, attempted to find a buyer to reuse all or part of the building. Although it is always unfortunate to lose such a vestige of our past agricultural history, it is heartening to know that the owners will be building a traditional New England barn (very close to a replica) in its place that will evoke our heritage and exist well into the 21st century. Francis Henkels, Chairman, Westport Historic District Commission
Submitted by Ryan at: April 7, 2011
A folk victorian is a traditional vernacular folk style house with victorian detailing. Vernacular "folk" forms are usually symmetrical facade common to self-taught builders of the era. These simple folk homes were then ornamented with gingerbread, jig-saw cut balustrades, etc. They differ from the official victorian styles of architecture (such as Queen Anne, Italianate, second empire, because they lack the key characteristics of those from that make them so recognizable. I hope that helps. Good question. If there's anyone that can explain it more accurately, please correct me. Thanks.
Submitted by Randy at: March 29, 2011
What in the world is "folk victorian"?
Submitted by Jerry at: March 29, 2011
Glad to know that the majority of the citizenry of Westport is as ignorant of the importance of preserving its history as the citizentry of my community...
Submitted by Glad to be in Ohio at: March 27, 2011
It would be a shame if this structure can't be saved glad the owners are working with trying to save it