Latest Structures Page 96

Dennis Otte Round Barn, Eleroy Illinois

Dennis Otte Round Barn, Eleroy Illinois

The barn was built by Herman Altenbern in 1930 for Carl Richards whose father had a round barn constructed earlier. This is a 54-foot round barn on a poured concrete foundation with horizontal wooden siding. The main entrance faces due east at grade and opens to a central passage dividing the barn bilaterally. Stalls arranged in a semi-circle on each side of the passage are separated by some hewn and some sawed posts which support a concentric loft plate on a radius of about 27 feet. Animals enter from the west. The loft is floored with materials previously used, perhaps as barn siding. The barn has a single-hip roof supported by a brace of a 2-inch by 6-inch member nailed on

People's State Bank, Orangeville Illinois

People's State Bank, Orangeville Illinois

Orangeville, Illinois, is located in northern Stephenson County, roughly two miles from the Wisconsin border, 11 miles south of Monroe, Wisconsin, 12 miles north of Freeport, Illinois, 35 miles west of Rockford, Illinois, and 60 miles east of Dubuque, Iowa. The People's State Bank, built in 1926, was the last significant historic public/commercial building constructed in Orangeville. The People's State Bank building was the capstone building of the downtown, reflecting the town's wealth and stature at its height. In 1926, the State of Illinois began construction of a bypass to the east of Orangeville, which began a slow decline from which the downtown has never recovered. In 1932, the bank folded and closed its doors. The Peoples State Bank was built

Chris Jensen Round Barn, Lena Illinois

Chris Jensen Round Barn, Lena Illinois

The name of the original owner and construction date are unknown. The roof and cupola profile, however, are reminiscent of the Leek barn built in the first decade of the twentieth century by the Shaffer-Haas team. This 60-foot diameter round barn sets on a poured concrete foundation. Its main entrance is on ground level on the northeast quadrant and leads to a rectangular opening in the mow floor for hay access. Animal access is on the southeast quadrant. Stalls are arranged at right angles to two large (5 1/2 inch by 7 3/4 inch) loft joists located 7 feet 9 inches apart across the barn's center. Members (6 inches by 1 3/4 inch) arranged diagonally between the loft studs brace the

Gerald Harbach Round Barn, Eleroy Illinois

Gerald Harbach Round Barn, Eleroy Illinois

This barn has a 55-foot diameter, a poured concrete foundation, and a west entrance on ground level. The animal entrance on the southeast quadrant has been permanently closed with a wooden gate. Drop siding covered with asphalt sheets now encloses the barn. Access to the loft is through a rectangular opening in the loft floor above the west entrance. The barn is braced against the wind by members arranged diagonally between the studs in the loft. The Single-hip roof is braced at each rafter by a member nailed approximately four feet above the roof hip and to the opposite side of the rafter about four feet below the roof hip. The roof is covered with asphalt shingles and is capped with

Charles Fehr Round Barn, Rock City Illinois

Charles Fehr Round Barn, Rock City Illinois

This barn was built in 1912 for Walter Knott by Jeremiah Shaffer and the Haas brothers. This barn has a 56-foot diameter and rests on a poured concrete foundation. The loft is supported by a centrally located concrete shaft on top of which joists radiate in a spoke-like fashion. The construction date and builders' names are inscribed on the shaft's east side. The original drop siding is covered by sheet metal. Access to the loft is over an earthen ramp on the west side while animal access is on the southeast quadrant. An overshoot shields the animal and secondary entrance for the farmer on ground level. Inside, the loft walls have wind bracing between the studs. The single-hip roof is also

James Bruce Round Barn, Freeport Illinois

James Bruce Round Barn, Freeport Illinois

The James Bruce Round Barn in Freeport was built in 1914 for George Bruce and is the last round barn known to have been built by the team of Jeremiah Shaffer and the Haas brothers who were probably responsible for the unusually large number of Stephenson County's round barns. The barn's central silo and single-hipped roof with braces illustrate the evolution of round barn design in the area. The central silo may reflect the cumulative influence of both the agricultural experiment stations at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Illinois which advocated the central silo. The hipped-roof and type of brace at the roof hip is an adaptation of the earlier conical roof initiated by the Shaffer-Haas team. The

Zenas Kent House, Aurora Ohio

Zenas Kent House, Aurora Ohio

Zenas Kent was born in Middletown, Connecticut in 1786 and first came to Ohio with his father, a carpenter and joiner who had purchased land from the Connecticut Land Company, in 1808. They returned to Connecticut after selecting a spot on which to build and erecting a cabin, which was down the hill from the present home. That winter the father died and the following year Zenas Kent, his mother, brothers, sisters and his own wife, Pamela, returned to Ohio to live. Zenas Kent, like his Father; was a carpenter and joiner, and, during the winter months, a teacher. He was industrious and, by 1815, had formed a partnership with a tanner and built and operated a general store. He soon

Mansfield Savings Bank, Mansfield Ohio

Mansfield Savings Bank, Mansfield Ohio

Built from 1913-15, the Mansfield Savings Bank was designed according to plans drawn for the Rochester (NY) Trust and Deposit Building by the architectural firm of York and Sawyer. The Classical Revival style of the building was thought to be appropriate to the character and position of the financial institution in the community. The newspapers of the day claimed that the Savings Bank marked a new era in banking institutions. Later banks followed suit in adopting the style, including the Citizens National Bank, built in 1925, and the Mechanics Building and Loan, built in 1926. Two other Mansfield banks, Richland Trust and Farmers Bank, built major office buildings about 1929 in an Art Deco style. All five of the city's early

Antwerp Norfolk and Western Depot, Antwerp Ohio

Antwerp Norfolk and Western Depot, Antwerp Ohio

This station is a classic example of the small town depot, traditionally the center of commercial activity in these Black Swamp railroad towns. Its decorative trim and large size indicate that this town of Antwerp was the metropolis of the county until 1890 when the trees were harvested and shipped east by railroad. This station has clearly defined spaces for passenger transportation, operator-agency functions, freight, express and mail services which are unchanged since the depot closed about 1976. The local historical society has purchased the building from Norfolk and Western who want it moved from their land. Plans are underway to relocate the station on the west edge of town in a park along the railroad tracks. The depot was relocated

Plano Hotel, Plano Illinois

Plano Hotel, Plano Illinois

The Plano Hotel, built in 1868, was built in a time when Kendall County was experiencing prosperity and growth due to the coming of the railroad in 1853. It is the only surviving hotel in Plano. The Excelsior Hotel which was built in 1853, burned in 1880. John Smith built the hotel on land which was owned by Cornelius Henning, John Hollister and Marcus Steward, proprietors of the plat of the original town of Plano. The land for the hotel was deeded to John Smith on February 5, 1868, the year the hotel was built. Plano owes its existence to the railroad. When the engineers for the predecessor of the C. B. & Q. Railroad made their first survey for the

Ryan Round Barn, Kewanee Illinois

Ryan Round Barn, Kewanee Illinois

The Ryan Barn is largest and best example of the round barn type known to exist in Illinois. The Ryan round barn is located on the side of a long rolling gully in the southwest portion of the Johnson-Sauk Trail State Park. The park consists of 1200 acres, including a 58-acre lake and 3-acre pond, the whole situated on the edge of a former great midwestern swamp. The Park is located about 6 miles north of the city of Kewanee. Park property runs up to State Rt. 78 on the west and is about 6 miles SE of Interstate 80. The barn is approximately 200 yards east of Rte 78. The barn is a large round frame structure, about 61' high

Ford Motor Company Louisville Plant - Reynolds Building, Louisville Kentucky

Ford Motor Company Louisville Plant - Reynolds Building, Louisville Kentucky

The Ford Motor Company, Louisville plant, built in 1915 and located at 2500 South 3^rd Street in Louisville was the Ford Company's exclusive production facility in Louisville from 1915-1925, and served a multi-state area. It was designed by architect Albert Kahn, a master of industrial design. With Ford's backing, Kahn became the nation's foremost architect of mass production industrial architecture during the first quarter of the twentieth century. The Louisville Plant represents Ford and Kahn's 1910-1916 phase of plant design, when the company employed assembly-line production in multi-story, reinforced concrete, gravity-flow industrial buildings. The first automobiles in the United States were individually crafted by blacksmiths, toolmakers and machinists and powered by gasoline, steam, or electricity. Enterprising businessmen teamed up with these

Ramsay-Fox Round Barn and Farm, Plymouth Indiana

Ramsay-Fox Round Barn and Farm, Plymouth Indiana

While the property's roots can be traced to the settlement period of Marshall County and basic sustenance farming practices of that time period, the property became an investment farm for its non-resident owners through the early part of the 1900s. The various owners of the tilled acreage reaped the benefits resulting from the innovation of agricultural practices during the second half of the 19^th century as land was cleared and crop production increased. By the time the farmstead was established at the turn of the century, farming had become a lucrative business which no doubt led to the establishment of the home and round barn. This Golden Age of agriculture saw land values soar, the change from horse-drawn equipment to powered

Lebanon Junior High School and Lebanon High School, Lebanon Kentucky

Lebanon Junior High School and Lebanon High School, Lebanon Kentucky

1918-1939 is the time in which the Lebanon High School and Lebanon Junior High Schools developed into the present-day complex. The beginning date 1918 constitutes the construction of the Lebanon High School, and 1939 signifies the completion of construction and opening of the Lebanon Junior High School. During the first half of the 20^th century, attitudes toward public education in Kentucky and United States changed. Education became a necessity, not a luxury. With the enactment of compulsory attendance laws in the early 1920s, Kentucky schools experienced growth in school population and greater demands and need for improved educational facilities. Throughout the first half of the 20^th century, Kentucky's educational system continued to experience changes and demands for improved facilities. By 1941,

Wadsworth Electric Manufacturing Company, Covington Kentucky

Wadsworth Electric Manufacturing Company, Covington Kentucky

The Wadsworth Electric Manufacturing Company was instrumental in developing electrical safety switches from the company's inception in 1918 until at least the 1970s. During that time, the company had four locations. The first two have been demolished; the fourth is a 1972 industrial building located in the suburbs. There were two major phases of innovation associated with the Wadsworth Electric Manufacturing Company: first, in the early twentieth century when it developed and refined electrical safety switches used nationwide; and again in the 1940s and '50s when the company was instrumental in developing and refining the next advancement in electricity, circuit breakers. The Wadsworth Electric Manufacturing Company had its beginnings in the early 1900s. George 8. Wadsworth, for whom the company is

Cornish Griffin Round Barn - Keeler Barn, Pleasant Lake Indiana

Cornish Griffin Round Barn - Keeler Barn, Pleasant Lake Indiana

The original owner of the barn was Cornish Griffin who also built the magnificent structure. He purchased the hollow glazed Clay tile for the walls and silo and mixed the concrete on site that was used for the mortar and for the lintels of the door and window openings. To add further distinction to his unique barn, Griffin inscribed his name in the concrete lintel over the south door and stamped a maple leaf pattern in the center of each window lintel. The lower level of the great structure was laid out in a carefully devised set of pens around the large glazed tile central silo. The upper level was for the storage of hay and straw and the entire area

George H. Tingley Elementary School, Louisville Kentucky

George H. Tingley Elementary School, Louisville Kentucky

Tingley Elementary School plays an important role in the South Preston Street streetscape and is an important neighborhood landmarks. Its architectural design and quality of craftsmanship, evident in the building's facade, create an important addition to the architectural integrity of the surrounding area, Tingley Elementary, built in 1892, is an excellent local example of the Romanesque Revival Style. Tingley Elementary School exhibits fine proportions, symmetrically arranged in an orderly fashion that pleases the eye, the typical Romanesque Revival Style. The central bays, forming the inside of a U, have handsome windows, each with three rows of arched brick voussoirs to define its contour and a conforming brick stringcourse above. Another interesting use of brick as a decorative element can be found

Thomas B. Watkins House, Lexington Kentucky

Thomas B. Watkins House, Lexington Kentucky

The Thomas B. Watkins House, a two-story brick late Italianate residence, is the most intact and best documented of the later works of John McMurtry (1812-90), Lexington's most prolific 19th-century architect-builder. He designed it in 1887, shortly before his death, for his daughter Anne and son-in-law, Thomas B. Watkins, a prosperous shoe merchant and, incidentally, a step-nephew of statesman Henry Clay. Set on an ample lot in a conspicuous location south of downtown Lexington, the Watkins house is essentially intact, both inside and out, in spite of recent neglect, having remained in the Watkins family until 1978. It was built according to plans and drawings which are the most extensive preserved for any of McMurtry's designs, and exhibits several of his

Strauther Pleak Round Barn, Greensburg Indiana

Strauther Pleak Round Barn, Greensburg Indiana

The owner of the barn was Strauther Pleak who had the unusual round barn constructed and later attached a large, rectangular barn with a gambrel roof. Apparently, the eight-sided silo at the barn's center was constructed first and then the barn was raised around it with the roof being braced by the silo, thus explaining the excellent condition of the shelter. This silo is unusual in that it is octagonal and also because it was constructed of 2x6 lumber stacked flat and then coated with tar. The silo design proved ineffective and in 1917, was lined with brick and concrete as evidenced by an inscription on the silo's interior walls (January 28, 1917). The lower level housed animals with feeding and

William Hill Polygonal Barn - Hill-Mershon Barn, Bloomingdale Indiana

William Hill Polygonal Barn - Hill-Mershon Barn, Bloomingdale Indiana

The original owner of the property was Mr. William Hill, builder of the first circular barn in the Carthage, Indiana, area. Hill was a University of Chicago professor who introduced the concept of circular barns to Isaac and Emery McNamee in 1900, with the McNamee's eventually becoming at least partially responsible for the proliferation of round and polygonal barns in the state. Hill became the director of the Bloomingdale Academy in 1905 and probably then had the structure built on the property. A small barn that is today used as a garage, the first level was probably intended for the storage of mostly small animals such as chickens or hogs and the upper level was used for storage, possibly of both

Book Title Abandoned America: The Age of Consequences (Jonglez photo books)

Abandoned America: The Age of Consequences (Jonglez photo books)

Book Title Abandoned America: Dismantling The Dream

Abandoned America: Dismantling The Dream

Book Title Lost Places: Images of Bygone America

Lost Places: Images of Bygone America

Book Title Abandoned Places: A Photographic Exploration of More Than 100 Worlds We Have Left Behind

Abandoned Places: A Photographic Exploration of More Than 100 Worlds We Have Left Behind

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