Bates Round Barn, Greene New York
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- New York
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- Round Barn
The Bates round barn, constructed in 1928, is one of the most complex and innovative central plan dairy barns in New York State.
The Bates round barn is the dominant element of Brookhaven Farm and is located east of and immediately adjacent to Route 12 several miles south of the village of Greene. The barn is located on 177 acres of flat farmland extending south of the barn to the Chenango River, some 2000 feet. The barn is situated on a short but steep slope which falls sharply to the south-east from Route 12. The farmhouse associated with the barn now stands on the northwest side of Route 12, although prior to the realignment of the road, both structures were east of the road.
Innovative features incorporated in this barn include the use of structural tile bearing walls (common in twentieth-century Midwestern round barns), its reversed stanchion layout with ventilating tubes (designed for better ventilation of the herd), specialized hay, grain and silage chutes which convey material to the manger and the edge of the silo, and the presence of four floors, one of which was originally used variously for chickens and calves. In addition to the use of tile walls, structural innovations included the domed roof formed of bent, segmented rafters, and the loft floor supported by wooden kingpost trusses and steel hangers, both of which had Midwestern precedents.
Architecturally, the Bates barn is distinguished by its unique domical form and originally arched entrance bay. It incorporates an especially handsome entrance bay facade composed of an elliptically arched doorway, flanking lunettes and a round window at the center of the ogivally arched pediment. The openings are all headed with brick arches or surrounds with the pediment surfaced in stucco. The pediment carries the inscription "1931 BROOK HAVEN" in brick against the stucco field, clearly illustrating the pride and craftsmanship with which this barn was built.
The barn was designed and built by DeVern Bates (builder of the Young round barn between 1914 and 1916, only one mile to the south). Bates's second barn is considerably more complex than his earlier effort, no doubt reflecting his gained experience and attention to barn developments in the Midwest in the interim. The barn remains in the Bates family and is in good condition. It continues to function successfully as a dairy barn.
Barn Description
The barn is circular with a diameter of 60 feet. Its height is three stories plus an attic loft, covered by a domical roof of asbestos shingles over board sheathing. At the top of the roof is a ventilator for the loft and circular silo. The silo runs through all four stories and is built of tile. The lower two stories have tile walls; the third story has 2" x 6" stud walls covered with clapboards which are now hidden behind asbestos shingles. To the northwest is a large entrance bay which gives access to the second and third floors, the third floor entrance being at road level through an elliptically arched opening. The roof of the entrance bay has a ogival arch form. The entrance bay is detailed with a brick, tile and stucco facade including the inscription "1931 Brookhaven" carried out in brick against a stucco field.
The ground floor houses the cows in a circle of 24 stanchions with the manger around the outside and the gutter towards the silo, the reverse of most circular barns and done here for better ventilation at the cows' heads. The entire circumference (except under the entrance bay, where the barn is built into a slope, and to the southeast where an addition has been made) has regularly spaced pairs of awning windows with a small ventilating tubes between each pair. Hay and grain chutes drop down into the manger around the circumference, while straw and silage chutes come down at the edge of the silo. The area under the entrance bay now houses milk processing equipment but was originally fitted out with horse stalls. The ground floor is concrete and the ceiling is plywood. A ring of 8 steel pipe columns at the ground story carries a compound timber beam which in turn carries the joists which are set radially.
The second floor has at various times been used for both calves and chickens. The structure is the same as in the ground story except that the eight posts are 8" x 8". The floor at this level is thin concrete over boards. The primary access to this floor is through the entrance bay which, at this level, is used for equipment storage.
The windows of the second story are identical to those on the ground floor though there are not ventilation chutes between the pairs.
The third floor is used primarily for feed and equipment storage since it has a drive-in access via the entrance bay. The space is unencumbered by posts because the loft floor above was designed to be self-supporting.
Windows are the same as in the second story. The floor at this level is constructed of 2" thick boards.
The loft, used for hay storage, is entered by a stairway in the third floor entrance bay. The large opening created by the intersection of the roofs of the barn and entrance bay allows the loft and silo to be filled with a conveyor operated from the third floor entrance. The floor of the loft is formed above the roof plate and is primarily supported on the silo and exterior walls. However, intermediate support comes from steel rods attached at the midpoints of the major floor beams and anchored to the top of the silo. In addition, there are four low kingpost trusses in the floor for added rigidity. The loft floor is asphalt-asbestos roofing over boards. The roof framing consists of curved rafters, 3 feet on center at the perimeter, made up of 5-1" x 4" nailed together after being bent to the proper curve. During construction these were formed on the loft floor and then erected into place. Originally a water tank was to be placed in the top of the silo, though this was never carried out.
View from west (1984)
View from northeast (1984)
View from southeast (1984)
Interior at second story (1984)
