When acquired by the current owners, this 19th century barn, designated as a significant structure by the Bedford (NY) Historic Building Preservation Commission, was structurally compromised and under-used as a storage and utility building on the property of an adjacent 18th century farmhouse.

The barn has been reimagined as an extension of the property’s family living space.  While the restored main house serves most of the family’s needs, the barn, with its more voluminous and dramatic open space, provided the opportunity for supplemental and larger gatherings.  The original 1150 SF historic structure was preserved, structurally stabilized, and weatherized.  A modest 400 SF addition, with large glass expanses, brings in natural light, connects the interior with the bucolic setting, and is purposefully distinguished from the original historic barn.  In addition, a custom glass and blackened steel wine tower provides a dramatic visual focus for the soaring barn interior.

Working closely with the Bedford HBPC, the public-facing two-story structure and stone retaining wall were carefully restored and maintain the original massing, materials and colors, while the addition incorporates a metal standing-seam roof in contrast with the cedar shake roof of the original barn.  The roofline picks up the slope of the historic barn and then cants upward to allow for an uninterrupted expanse of modern operable glass doors that fully open to the barn’s pastoral site.

Interior materials were preserved where possible and practical, with particular attention to the mass timber framing of the historic barn’s structure. The original timber frame structure is visually preserved and enhanced with new and contrasting tongue-and-groove surfaces. At the original western wall, the timber frame is left intact. It is thoughtfully contrasted with new wood glam-lam beams supporting the curve of the addition’s roofline, so that the historic barn’s original footprint is memorialized in the reimagined interiors.

Efforts to preserve and restore the barn’s timber frame, stone retaining walls, exterior wood siding, and other finishes significantly support the project’s sustainability goals. The use of locally sourced natural materials, such as fieldstone and Eastern white pine, helps reduce the carbon footprint. Preservation maintains a link to the past, while adaptive reuse extends the life and relevance of built structures. The diminutive nature of the addition means that minimal resources are employed for maximum benefit.