Gothic-arch barn

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George Obendorf Gothic Arch Truss Barn, built from Sears Roebuck parts, in Idaho Obendorf Barn - Wilder Idaho.jpg
George Obendorf Gothic Arch Truss Barn, built from Sears Roebuck parts, in Idaho

A Gothic-arched roof barn or Gothic-arch barn or Gothic barn or rainbow arch [1] is a barn whose profile is in the ogival shape of a Gothic arch. These became economically feasible when arch members could be formed by a lamination process. The distinctive roofline features a center peak as in a gable roof, but with symmetrical curved rafters instead of straight ones. The roof could extend to the ground making the roof and walls a complete arch, or be built as an arched roof on top of traditionally framed walls.

Contents

History

Timber-framed barns, in use for many hundreds of years, required large timbers as posts and beams, and rafters and timber roof trusses, which consumed interior space in the structure. Also, in the United States, as settlement moved westward into areas without large stands of hardwood trees, such material became very expensive. [2]

Gothic-arch design guide Arch truss.svg
Gothic-arch design guide

The Gothic arch originated in Michigan in the late 19th-century; [3] the first occurrence may have been in Isabella County in 1885. [4] Arches were cut from boards nailed together. These early arches were not sufficiently sturdy, but did allow for structures free of heavy timbers. Advancing framing techniques for trusses made of dimensional lumber led to the gambrel roof, which was strong and free of heavy timbers. The Shawver truss—introduced in 1904 and invented by John L Shawver of Bellefontaine, Ohio—made of laminated straight boards, became a popular technique for framing gambrel roofs. This design required diagonal braces from within the roof to the floor preventing unobstructed use of the both the loft and the barn. [2]

Design of Shawver Truss, a predecessor to the Gothic-arch that provided a mostly open loft Shawver Truss.svg
Design of Shawver Truss, a predecessor to the Gothic-arch that provided a mostly open loft

Improvements in construction methods in the early 1900s resulted in an improved Gothic-arch truss made of longer lengths of boards bent into the curved shape. The ability to create curved laminated rafters meant that the gambrel roof evolved into the more modern Gothic-arch barn. The arch allowed for a haymow in the barn spanning the entire width without any roof supports obstructing use. [3] [2]

The clear span within the loft was important to minimize operating labor costs in filling the loft with stover (feed stock) for animals by using compressed air to blow the fodder into the loft. Storing loose hay was common before compact bales became an easier way to handle, transport, and store hay. As barns were prominent structures, the attractive contour of the Gothic-arch was desirable and believed to contribute to the value of a farm. [5]

Idaho Farmer magazine predicted in 1916 that the Gothic-arch barn "would become the most prevalent construction type built on successful dairy barns." [6] The barns became popular in the Midwestern United States in the early 1900s, and even more so in the 1910s as advances in the lamination process allowed larger rafters to be fabricated. [4]

Barns of all kinds were available by mail order from around 1905 to the 1940s. The Gothic-arch design was featured on both the front and back cover of The Book of Barns - Honor-Bilt-Already Cut [lower-alpha 1] catalog published by Sears Roebuck in 1918. It was the most popular roof design for barns sold by Sears. [7] In 1915, Sears sold a 42-by-60-foot (13 m × 18 m) Gothic-arch barn for $1,500. All materials were pre-cut and finished and shipped by railroad to the customer for local assembly. [2]

The popularity of arch-roofed barns peaked in the 1930s when farms transitioned from animal powered machinery to gasoline-powered tractors and large amounts of hay storage space for fodder was no longer necessary, removing the need for large haylofts. Another factor was that the concurrent availability of hay balers condensed hay by a factor of eight so that the hay that was still required could be stored in much less space. By the 1960s, large round hay bales were covered and stored on the ground, so even dairy farmers that still relied on hay did not need indoor storage space. [8]

Construction

Complete architectural plan for a Gothic-arch barn by the US Department of Agriculture Gothic barn plans.svg
Complete architectural plan for a Gothic-arch barn by the US Department of Agriculture

Rafters were first constructed by laminating together, by nailing, two or more pieces of 1x8 inch lumber with overlapping end joints and then cutting the desired radius. Before power tools were commonly available, this method was labor-intensive. It also wasted a considerable amount of lumber. The construction method gave way to bending rather than cutting the radius. Bent rafters were formed from 1x3 or 1x4 inch boards. Un-surfaced boards were preferred because rough-sawn boards created more friction when laminated. For barns up to 30 feet (9.1 m) wide, rafters were commonly made from four pieces of 1x3 (actually 3/4 inches thick) random length boards with end joints of at least two feet apart nailed together and also bolted every three feet. Larger barns required stronger rafters, such as five pieces of 1x4. [5]

Later arched rafters were formed without nails or bolts; the multiple layers were glued together with a waterproof casein glue under pressure. Such assemblies approached the strength of solid timbers. [9]

Manufactured glued laminated wooden arches were first seen in the United States in 1934, offered by Unit Structures Inc. of Peshtigo, Wisconsin. Other early manufacturers were Rilco Laminated Products of St. Paul, Minnesota, a subsidiary of Weyerhaeuser Lumber Company; and Super Structures, also in Minnesota. World War II shortages of steel increased interest in structural laminated timber. [10]

Rilco produced Gothic-arches for farm buildings advertised as “factory-fabricated and engineered”, and were sold in lumber yards in standard sizes for 30–40-foot (9.1–12.2 m) wide barns. The arches were shipped in two pieces with pre-drilled holes and assembly hardware.

The Tomlinson Lumber Co sold pre-cut materials for a 34 by 50 feet (10 m × 15 m) dairy barn with a Gothic-arched roof supported by three-ply rafters in 1958 throughout Minnesota. [10]

The first published plans by an architect for a Gothic-arch barn appeared in 1916. [5]

Although the technique was generally outdated at the time, a guide to making a Gothic-arch truss cut from straight 1x8 was published by the USDA Forest Products Lab in 1958. [11]

Kootenai River valley

A late 1930s government program in northern Idaho relocated destitute farmers that had originally homesteaded on marginally productive land. The Boundary Farms Project, run by the Farm Security Administration's Rural Resettlement Project built 37 100-acre (40 ha) farms in the Kootenai River valley. Each farm typically included of one or two Gothic-arch or Gambrel-roof barns. Today, these barns provide the most historic connection to the Depression-era project. One farm is now located within the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge and its original Gothic-arch barn, eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, is used in the headquarters complex as a classroom. [12]

Wells Barn

An 1889 patent by contractor John Talcott Wells of Garbutt, New York for his Wells Truss System described a hybrid structure with the gambrel-roof form on the outside but Gothic-arches on the inside creating a completely unobstructed interior. Over 200 such barns were built in 1886-1942 by Wells and his sons, mostly in Western New York. This design utilized a unique truss with the lower chord Gothic-arch-shaped. [13] [14] Two Wells barns are located on the NRHP-listed Isaac Cox Cobblestone Farmstead. [15]

Notable examples

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Honor-Bilt was a division of Sears that sold mail-order buildings beginning in 1908 [2]

Related Research Articles

Lumber Wood that has been processed into beams and planks

Lumber, also known as timber, is wood that has been processed into beams and planks, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for structural purposes but has many other uses as well.

Barn Agricultural building used for storage and as a covered workplace

A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain. As a result, the term barn is often qualified e.g. tobacco barn, dairy barn, cow house, sheep barn, potato barn. In the British Isles, the term barn is restricted mainly to storage structures for unthreshed cereals and fodder, the terms byre or shippon being applied to cow shelters, whereas horses are kept in buildings known as stables. In mainland Europe, however, barns were often part of integrated structures known as byre-dwellings. In addition, barns may be used for equipment storage, as a covered workplace, and for activities such as threshing.

Engineered wood Range of derivative wood products engineered for uniform and predictable structural performance

Engineered wood, also called mass timber, composite wood, man-made wood, or manufactured board, includes a range of derivative wood products which are manufactured by binding or fixing the strands, particles, fibres, or veneers or boards of wood, together with adhesives, or other methods of fixation to form composite material. The panels vary in size but can range upwards of 64 by 8 feet and in the case of cross-laminated timber (CLT) can be of any thickness from a few inches to 16 inches (410 mm) or more. These products are engineered to precise design specifications, which are tested to meet national or international standards and provide uniformity and predictability in their structural performance. Engineered wood products are used in a variety of applications, from home construction to commercial buildings to industrial products. The products can be used for joists and beams that replace steel in many building projects. The term mass timber describes a group of building materials that can replace concrete assemblies. Broad-base adoption of mass timber and their substitution for steel and concrete in new mid-rise construction projects over the next couple decades has the potential of turning timber buildings into a global carbon sink, which could help mitigate climate change.

Glued laminated timber

Glued laminated timber, also abbreviated glulam, is a type of structural engineered wood product constituted by layers of dimensional lumber bonded together with durable, moisture-resistant structural adhesives. In North America, the material providing the laminations is termed laminating stock or lamstock.

Rafter

A rafter is one of a series of sloped structural members such as wooden beams that extend from the ridge or hip to the wall plate, downslope perimeter or eave, and that are designed to support the roof shingles, roof deck and its associated loads. A pair of rafters is called a couple. In home construction, rafters are normally made of wood. Exposed rafters are a feature of some traditional roof styles.

Framing (construction) Construction techique

Framing, in construction, is the fitting together of pieces to give a structure support and shape. Framing materials are usually wood, engineered wood, or structural steel. The alternative to framed construction is generally called mass wall construction, where horizontal layers of stacked materials such as log building, masonry, rammed earth, adobe, etc. are used without framing.

Purlin

A purlin is a longitudinal, horizontal, structural member in a roof. In traditional timber framing there are three basic types of purlin: purlin plate, principal purlin, and common purlin.

Lewis Round Barn United States historic place

The Lewis Round Barn is located in Mendon, Illinois, in northwestern Adams County. It is one of 14 round barns recognized by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. The barn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 29, 2003.

Thomas Ranck Round Barn United States historic place

The Thomas Ranck Round Barn is a round barn in Waterloo Township near the Fayette-Wayne County, Indiana county line. It is one of many round barns built in Indiana during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Of the round barns built in eastern Indiana during this period the Ranck Round Barn stands out as one of the most elaborately designed structures. The Thomas Ranck Round Barn was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in January 1983.

Pole building framing Construction method

Pole framing or post-frame construction is a simplified building technique adapted from the labor-intensive traditional timber framing technique. It uses large poles or posts buried in the ground or on a foundation to provide the vertical structural support, along with girts to provide horizontal support. The method was developed and matured during the 1930s as agricultural practices changed, including the shift toward engine-powered farm equipment and the demand for cheaper, larger barns and storage areas.

Goodrich-Ramus Barn

The Goodrich-Ramus Barn is a historic Gothic-arch barn in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. It is considered eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places on the basis of its historical and architectural significance.

Timber roof truss

A timber roof truss is a structural framework of timbers designed to bridge the space above a room and to provide support for a roof. Trusses usually occur at regular intervals, linked by longitudinal timbers such as purlins. The space between each truss is known as a bay.

Terwilliger–Smith Farm United States historic place

The Terwilliger–Smith Farm is located on Cherrytown Road near the hamlet of Kerhonkson in the Town of Rochester in Ulster County, New York, United States. It was established in the mid-19th century.

Bert Leedy Round Barn United States historic place

The Bert Leedy Round Barn, also known as Paxton Round Barn and as Fulton County Historical Society Round Barn, is a round barn located in Richland Township near Rochester, Indiana, United States. Built in 1924, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. The listing was consistent with terms of a National Park Service "Multiple Property Documentation" study on "Round and Polygonal Barns of Indiana" that was prepared in 1991. The Round Barn was moved to its current site, an open-air museum, in 1989 after it was struck by a tornado.

John Haimbaugh Round Barn Historic building in Indiana, US

The John Haimbaugh Round Barn in Newcastle Township near Rochester, Indiana, United States, is a round barn that was built in 1914. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

John and Katharine Tunkun Podjun Farm United States historic place

The John and Katharine Tunkun Podjun Farm is a farm located at 9581 East 1 Mile Road in Ellsworth, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

American historic carpentry

American historic carpentry is the historic methods with which wooden buildings were built in what is now the United States since European settlement. A number of methods were used to form the wooden walls and the types of structural carpentry are often defined by the wall, floor, and roof construction such as log, timber framed, balloon framed, or stacked plank. Some types of historic houses are called plank houses but plank house has several meanings which are discussed below. Roofs were almost always framed with wood, sometimes with timber roof trusses. Stone and brick buildings also have some wood framing for floors, interior walls and roofs.

Pete Larsen Farm

The Pete Larsen Farm is an historic site in Porter County, Indiana.

Menno Yoder Polygonal Barn United States historic place

The Menno Yoder barn is one of the two remaining poured concrete polygonal barns in the United States state of Indiana. Built on the outskirts of Shipshewana in 1908 by Menno Yoder, this twelve-sided barn has been expanded upon. It is known as the Brown Swiss Dairy barn. A gravel drive extends to the barn, passing the 1911 concrete farmhouse. The polygonal barn consists of the original 1908 twelve-sided barn, a 1911 attached silo, a c.1920 rectangular addition, and a 1960s one story addition. Next to the barn is a free standing c.1950 milk house.

Anderson Barn (Johnstown, Colorado) United States historic place

The Anderson Barn near Johnstown in Weld County, Colorado, also known as the Carlson Barn, is a gambrel-roofed gambrel roof gambrel ornamental block building built in 1913. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

References

  1. ↑ Falk, Cynthia (May 1, 2012). Barns of New York: Rural Architecture of the Empire State . Cornell University Press. ISBN   978-0-8014-6445-4 . Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Obendorf. George. Gothic Arch Truss Bar NRHP Registration Form". nps.gov. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Jiusto, Chere; Brown, Christine W. (2011). Hand Raised: The Barns of Montana. Montana Historical Society. ISBN   978-0-9759196-9-9 . Retrieved Apr 1, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Brooks, Allyson; Jacon, Steph (1994). Homesteading and Agricultural Development Context. Pierre, South Dakota: South Dakota State Historical Society Press. p. 53.
  5. 1 2 3 Kirkpatrick, W. (1920). "Gothic Roofs for Barns". Agricultural Engineering. 1 (1): 31–. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  6. ↑ Fisher, Sharon (2012). Kuna. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN   978-0-7385-9540-5 . Retrieved Apr 1, 2018.
  7. ↑ Leffingwell, Randy. Barns. Voyageur Press. p. 75. ISBN   978-1-61060-353-9 . Retrieved Apr 1, 2018.
  8. ↑ "NRHP Nomination form Beamer Barn" (PDF). kshs.org. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  9. ↑ William D. Test. "Design of the glued, laminated, bent rafter". Iowa State College. Retrieved Apr 1, 2018.
  10. 1 2 "Planning and Building Farm Structures" (PDF). dot.state.mn.us. Minnesota Historic Farms Study. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  11. ↑ Doyle, D.V. (Dec 1958). "Segmental Rafters For Gothic-Roofed Farm Buildings" (PDF). Technical Note. Madison, WI: United States Department of Agriculture Forest Product Laboratory (261). Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Aftermath of the Homesteading Act" (PDF). fws.gov. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Wells History". wellsbarnhistory.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  14. ↑ Gordon, Dane R. (2007), Rochester Institute of Technology: Industrial Development and Educational Innovation in an American City, 1829-2006, RIT Cary Graphic Arts Press, p. 251, ISBN   978-1-933360-23-2
  15. ↑ Robert T. Englert (August 2002). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Isaac Cox Cobblestone Farmstead". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation . Retrieved 2009-10-01.
  16. ↑ Chris B. Nelson (March 3, 2009). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Michael J. Fitzmaurice South Dakota Veterans Home Barn". National Park Service . Retrieved March 17, 2018. With two photos.
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