Ask the Equestrian Architect: What’s in it for Me?

I think that’s the top question I get (the gist of it, anyway) and it SHOULD be. Why should you hire an architect to design a horse barn? Or, Is hiring an architect to design a barn really necessary?

In short: no. However, hiring an equine architect can save you time, your horse’s health and safety, and even money in the long run. Allow me to state my case.

A horse is so much more than a pet: it’s a companion, a worker, a teammate, an athlete. Whether you ride for pleasure or compete, the horse—your horse—is irreplaceable. I wish not to gild the lily just to make my point, which you already know, that horse owners think the world of their horses and want to treat them with the utmost care and respect. If you keep a horse, it’s your duty to protect it. While a horse is perfectly pleased to graze outdoors most days, the barn is a necessity – so I say, let’s do our best to protect that horse and maybe make your life a little easier in the process.

"Barn? What barn? We're good right here."

Barn This Way – Product vs. Service

When you decide to build a barn, you have a few choices. The least costly solution is to purchase a prefab or kit barn. The prices range (rather wildly), as does the package itself. Labor is often an additional cost as well as nails, roofing, and concrete costs. Usually a contractor charges between 10 to 25 percent of the total cost of materials for construction services. However, this percentage may go up if your project is on the small side in order for it to be financially viable for the contractor. For many horse owners, a prefabricated or kit barn is a perfectly reasonable and cost-effective solution.

If you’re looking for a step above prefabricated, or can afford to customize your project a bit, you may then wish to research design/build contractors – but this is where I’d stop and suggest that you alternatively consider working with an equestrian architect.

Why? A design/build contractor is selling a product, not a service, and is not often a trained architect, which limits his or her ability to think creatively outside of the box. In most cases, thinking outside of the box eats up profits and costs more money (for the design/build contractor). For a design/build contractor, the goal is to build quickly above all else. I think this compromises your program and the overall result because the design/builder does not want to eat up time resolving special issues or conflicts. The design is usually cookie cutter, following whatever pattern the design/build contractor typically uses, and there is no one there to really represent the owner (you) and oversee the quality of the project and if it’s built as intended or promised.

To Serve and Protect

With an equestrian architect, you’re purchasing a service rather than a product. The architect is there to resolve the needs of the owner, from overall site planning, programming, phasing, and design to overseeing the entire construction to make sure the barn is built as intended. The service costs a bit more than a design/build contractor but, if your barn is your livelihood or your sanctuary, I believe that you’ll save time and stress, frankly by getting it done right the first time.

Typical services an equestrian architect (straight from the horse’s mouth here, if you’ll forgive my pun) will provide:

• Site planning: can reduce infrastructure costs (fewer roads, less fencing, better drainage, etc.) and improve the site to function at its best for your needs.

• Programming: ensures that the whole farm (not just the horse barn but the entire collection of structures on the site, if applicable: residence, guest house, caretaker’s quarters, hay/bedding, vehicle storage, etc.) operates efficiently and safely.

• Code analysis: certainly the codes vary across states/municipalities. We’ve designed horse stables in counties with very specific codes and regulations and understand what to look for and how to work with the various officials to resolve issues. The architect can save you a lot of hassle!

• Budget Development and Cost Control/Scheduling: I like to develop a budget as early in the process as possible and revisit it periodically during the project. My job is to determine if the owner’s programmatic needs and budget fit the site, and if the design aesthetic suits their personal design goals. We can also plan to develop the barn or various structures in phases, if applicable.

• Conceptual Design: Here we develop the character and massing of the structure(s) and prepare a preliminary floor plan and elevations to illustrate our ideas. At Blackburn, this is the final phase of what we call Master Plan Services (site plan, written program, conceptual design, and preliminary construction development). From here, we move on to more detailed design work.

• Schematic Design: After we complete a master plan that works well for the owner, we begin to prepare detailed drawings to give you an idea of the layout and general appearance of the barn (and possibly other buildings). We’ll talk about finishes, materials, stalls, tack rooms, etc. For a lot of people, this phase of design is the fun part!

• Design Development and Construction Drawings: Here we’ll really start to nail down the final design and specify the materials, stall systems, finishes, and other details and prepare construction drawings that instruct the contractor how to build the barn.

• Bidding and Construction Administration: Because construction drawings are open to interpretation, it’s important that the architect works with the contractor to oversee that the project is carried out according to the design intent. We’re the owner’s rep to make sure that construction is done well and done right.

I understand this may seem like a lot, but each is a valuable step toward designing a healthy, safe, and functional facility. As an architect, I want to study how you operate and design a barn that feels inviting and personal (because it is). No barn or farm operates exactly alike as each owner or barn/farm manager operates his/her facility in a particular fashion. While designing a barn from scratch is not realistic for everyone, if you are choosing between a design/build firm and an equestrian architect, I’d strongly advise that you approach both for more information and weigh out your options carefully. It could save you your horse.

As always, I invite your questions and comments. Thanks for reading!

Tidewater Farm

An architect is trained to design as the great Louis Sullivan (1856-1924) states: “Form ever follows function.” After all, if your barn doesn’t function properly, what’s the point of a great design?

Neville Bardos: Boyd Martin’s Horse that Could

I have to share this story from today’s New York Times about Neville Bardos: if you haven’t already read about Boyd Martin’s chestnut gelding that survived a horrific barn fire and is now a finalist for international Horse of the Year, please do. (There’s also a related video on the NYTimes’ homepage.) What a tough horse!

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/bcvideo/1.0/iframe/embed.html?videoId=100000001282992&playerType=embed

Questions for an Equestrian Architect? Ask Away!

Hello, all! I’m thinking about writing up a few posts about common questions/concerns/etc. from clients (or those debating whether to hire an architect) that I frequently encounter when designing equestrian facilities. I’d like to welcome any and all questions, from the general –How does the architectural process work? –to the specific– Should I build a concrete block barn or a wood frame?

Tack Room at Lucky Jack Farm in Rancho Santa Fe, California

With that being said, if you ever are boggled by bad stable design or poorly planned layouts, I’d be interested in your thoughts as to why the design did not work and how it might be improved. I often find myself critiquing other designs — and I’m not just talking about the aesthetics, but how function and operation so often fall apart due to a poorly conceptualized site plan or design. Not to mention the details overlooked that could be hazardous to your horse and you. But I guess that’s another topic for another day.

I hope to hear from you soon as your comments and ideas really help drive the content of this blog. Incidentally, we’re 10 days into the new year and it’s practically 60 degrees Fahrenheit in DC — kind of bizarre and I’m wondering if this mild winter will bring an earlier-than-usual construction season? Well, an architect can hope!

Beechwood Stables: Progress in Weston, MA, Part II

I wanted to share a few more photos of the construction progress at Beechwood Stables in Weston, Massachusetts. We expect to punch out the project (a final walk through of the project where we review everything) very soon.

Ketchen Place Farm: Rock Hill, South Carolina

On fifty gently sloping acres south of Charlotte, North Carolina, Ketchen Place Farm is a family-owned, female-run farm that breeds thoroughbred and warmblood sport horses. Blackburn Architects provided architectural services for the construction of a 20-stall barn and a not-yet-built, separate four-bay garage with a two-bedroom, two-bath residence above. The master plan includes redesign and improvement of roads, fencing, paddocks, a run-in shed, and a well-defined entrance to the facility. The shed-row style barn, which includes a studio apartment above for the observation of foals, wraps around three sides of a courtyard that doubles as a small sand training paddock. The project was featured in the Spring 201o issue of Architecture DC Magazine.

Program 20-stall barn with groom’s studio, four-bay garage with residence, redesign of roads, fencing, paddocks, shed, and facility entrance

Completion 2008

Rider Demonstration at Ketchen Place Farm

Rider Demonstration at Ketchen Place Farm

Glenwood Farm: Ridgeway, South Carolina

Located on a hilly 250-acre site with two lakes, Glenwood Farm is designed of wood and stone to fit within the natural landscape. The covered arena and outdoor dressage arena with surrounding paddocks overlook a small pond. The 12-stall barn has two wash/groom stalls and service space that includes a tack room, feed room, tool/work space, and laundry as well as a lounge with a loft and office space. A separate service building stores bedding and hay. The farm is used for boarding private horses as well as for the family’s personal use.

Program 12-stall barn, covered arena, and service building

Completion 2008

Corralling the Party Barns

They’re rustic, lofty, and awe-inspiring. Supported by a sturdy skeleton of timber and a base of stone nestled into the land, its appeal is seemingly timeless. The structure effortlessly fits into its landscape, whether in Pennsylvania, Ohio, or across the ocean in the United Kingdom. The bank barn. A simple beauty of which I can’t get enough. (Not to mention dairy barns, vaulted barrel barns, Dutch barns, prairie barns….)

Image from Gono.com

Maybe it’s the news I seek, but I feel as if there’s an influx of articles and project profiles about converting old barns into residences, guest houses, schools, theatres — even a basketball court/recreational wonderland. Bring it on, I say. Converting an old building to a new use never gets old to an architect like me.

There’s even a How to Guide (aptly titled, How to Take One Old Barn and Call it Home) from the team who can seemingly fix anything and everything: the experts at This Old House. Converting an old barn into a new home isn’t a task for the faint of heart, but big things can yield even bigger rewards, I like to think. The article touches on common issues you’ll face: structural (is it safe? how’s the foundation?), is it energy-efficient (you can bet it’s not — yet!) and water sealed (again — no way, no how), the pluses and minuses of such a large, open space, and more.

At Blackburn, we’re working to revive a metal pole barn currently used as a recreational lodge in North Carolina. While the barn isn’t centuries old, like many of the bank barns I admire, it’s an interesting challenge for my staff and me. The owner would like to expand the barn’s use so that it may host business events and entertainment functions. Our goal is to respect the barn’s form and the local context, while providing a renewed aesthetic and use. Design plans include replacing the metal cladding with a painted wood or composite siding to provide a more traditional look. We’ll also incorporate more natural light into the barn through an enclosed glass entrance, which will in turn make the space feel more inviting. The floor will be lowered to increase the space’s capacity and the hayloft area will become a conference center for up to 80 people. Heavy timber framing with steel plate connections will add to the rustic yet finished interior.

I’ll post updates about the project as the work progresses. In the meantime, how about some inspiration for your own conversion project? Here’s just a sample of what I’ve found lately. If you stumble upon a great adaptive reuse project (whether it’s a barn, an old warehouse, a church), I hope you’ll share it here. I can’t seem to get enough.

New York Times: The Call of Converted Barns 

New York Times: An Upstate Farm Brings a Fashion Photographer Back to His Roots 

Inhabitat: 300 Year Old Barn 

Inhabitat: Beautiful Bank Barn Conversion (OK, a shameless plug for a Blackburn project)

Martha Stewart: Rustic and Refined Barn 

Martha Stewart: Summer Guesthouse 

Martha Stewart: Farmhouse Renovation 

Outdoor Guy Photography

Stumbled across this photography blog and am glad I did. Seems he too has a thing for old barns. Really like how the images seem to capture the mood of the large, weary structures. Great stuff.

Photo by Outdoor Guy Photography

Mutton Busting and Barn Night at the Washington International Horse Show

I admit it: I’ve never even heard of mutton bustin’ until reading about the event, which is part of tonight’s lineup at the 53rd annual Washington International Horse Show, in yesterday’s Washington Post. Apparently mutton bustin’, in which kids weighing 60 lbs. or less play rodeo kings and queens while riding on SHEEP (like a fluffier and friendlier bull?), is popular in Australia. Wonder if it will catch on in the states. Or am I already behind?

It’s hard for me to imagine that any sheep with a 6-year-old on its back would feel inspired to do much other than lie down for a nice nap, but apparently it can get quite rowdy (witness the poor kid in the photo below). My curiosity is certainly piqued. I’ll even get to see the “action” live because my staff and I are attending tonight’s show (it’s BARN NIGHT, after all). Everyone at Blackburn enjoys watching the terrier races, but I bet mutton bustin’ gives the dogs a run for their money, at least as far as the cute factor goes.

For those of you who plan to attend tonight’s show, please follow me on Blackburn’s Facebook page, where I’ll post about the event and coordinate to meet up with fellow horse and barn lovers. And if you can’t make it to the show, consider watching it via live streaming.

Hopefully there's no crying at tonight's Mutton Bustin'!

 

Houzz – Inspiration for your next project?

Are you familiar with Houzz? It’s a virtual catalogue of residential projects from various architects and designers. My firm has been using it lately to present a few of our residential (which includes renovated guest and “party barns”) projects. Non-designers can browse various projects, using a keyword search (think: modern, traditional, eclectic, etc.) or by the firm itself, and compile favorite photographs into what the site calls an Idea Book. I know that all of my clients benefit from photographs of projects to help illustrate or visualize their ideas or design aesthetic and I really like how this site is a one-stop-shop to do just that. I hope you’ll check out the site and let me know what you think — and of course, I hope you’ll add a few photos from the Blackburn portfolio to your very own Idea Book!

Private Residence in Marshall, Virginia -- Blackburn teamed with Cebula Design, Inc., an outstanding interior design firm based out of Boston

 

Party Barns: A New Way to Look at your Old Barn – Plus, Cowboys & Indians Mag

I wanted to repost this previous blog entry because the July 2011 issue of Cowboy & Indians Magazine features this party barn adaptive-reuse project. You can also read about the bank barn project online. We are thrilled to be a part of this esteemed publication and hope you can pick up a copy and let us know what you think.

With all of the depressing economic news right now, I think practicing a little “escapism” is in order. So I’d like to talk about something that’s not exactly practical in the traditional sense, but is all around fun. What am I getting at? Party barns.

“Party barns,” are becoming more popular by the day. For the uninitiated, a party barn is the result of transforming an old, battered and bruised barn into something very un-barn-like in use but still very much “barn-like.” It can be in the form of a guesthouse, an entertaining area, or an in-law suite—pretty much wherever your imagination leads you. We’ve even had clients approach us with opportunities to “save” old barns to become performing arts centers, bed and breakfast accommodations, restaurants, and more.

The opportunities are limitless, but the idea is the same: take something old and readapt it toward a new use. This type of work, called “adaptive reuse,” can occur in forms beyond barns, but let’s stick with just party barns for now.

One barn that turned out particularly well for its owners, dubbed the “Bank Barn,” is located in Leesburg, Virginia. The original structure dates back to the 1800s and was in such bad shape there were gaping holes in the walls. Much of the wood was rotten and the whole barn sagged. Despite its poor conditions, the barn was clearly a beauty and well worth being salvaged—something the owners innately recognized—and I was lucky enough to help.

To me, the best part of a project like this is being able to watch the barn undergo such a significant transformation. Currently, we have a project in Ohio for a family who seek to readapt a German-style bank barn that fell into serious decay into a private family entertaining space. The owners can’t wait to host their next Thanksgiving dinner in the barn.

I thought it might be interesting for you to “watch” the barn’s progress over the next few months. I’ll post photos of the “before” look of the barn as well as some photos throughout the construction process. In the meantime, here are a few of the Bank Barn—both “before” and “after.” While this type of project may not be something many can do right now, you may look at an old structure sitting on your property just a little differently—and hopefully think twice before tearing it down.

Here's the Bank Barn Before Construction

Here's the Bank Barn After Construction

Bank Barn Interior

First Barn: From just horsin’ around to designing barns

As a kid in Tennessee, I grew up around horses, though I had no interest in properly riding them. That I left to my twin sister, who kept her Tennessee Walker named Dixie in a neighbor’s barn. For me, playing in the barn’s loft for days on end in the summer was much more appealing.

I left Tennessee for Clemson University (B.A. Architecture, 1969), where I developed an interest in designing buildings inspired by context, environment, and function: I became a student of the philosophy that “form follows function.” There was no doubt in my mind that I had left horses and the barn behind. After all, I never aspired to be an equestrian architect. I was a student of urban design. Ironically, over 25 years later, I earn a living designing equestrian facilities across the country. That is because a single interview changed my life.

Following graduate school (Washington University in St. Louis, M.A. in Urban Design, 1973), I relocated to Washington, D.C. in pursuit of its urban and robust economy as a place to possibly support a future architectural practice. My former colleague, Robbie Smith, and I began “moonlighting” on small side projects together and decided to create our own firm. As young architects, we’d happily take any project we could get our hands on. So, when Robbie received a phone call from a friend in the summer of 1983 about a fairly large potential horse project in Upperville, Virginia, we jumped. Forget that we had never designed a horse farm, or, for that matter, any other building of size of significance on our own. We had nothing to lose.

The Interview 

Preparation began for the big interview. We learned that the owner, Robert H. Smith (no relation to my partner, Robbie Smith), selected the renowned landscape architect Morgan Wheelock of Boston to plan the farm. Together, the owner and Wheelock sought an architect to design the farm structures to fit within the well-known Upperville and Middleburg, Virginia context.

Typically, during an interview you review your firm’s portfolio of completed projects with the potential client. This was not an option for Robbie and me — we’d have to approach this interview differently. Since Robbie was from Middleburg, he was familiar with the area’s building types. He spent a few days photographing various buildings in the area — forms, materials, and shapes — that represented Middleburg or Upperville in any way. Barns were certainly photographed, but we also considered residences, commercial structures, and other miscellaneous structures relevant. With plenty of images to inspire us, we selected a number of key examples. Many of these buildings were perhaps a hundred years old and probably weren’t designed by an architect. However, we felt they strongly represented the area. We took the photographs and projected the slides on the wall of our small office, traced over them, and transferred the images to illustration boards to serve as our “portfolio” presentation.

I’m not aware of what the other interviewing firms presented, but ours did not include a single building we designed or were designed by any architect, for that matter. Our presentation documented the context of the area in a series of hand-drawn sketches — but, at least, if the owner’s farm were to “fit” into the context, these were the shapes, forms, materials, and scale they should have.

We were hired immediately. Suddenly, we found ourselves with seven buildings to design with no staff in an unfurnished office space in a third-floor walkup in Georgetown — and we weren’t about to complain. We were embarking on a project that would change our lives.

Horse Sense

Our client, Robert H. Smith, was a very successful developer in the Washington, D.C. area. While he had owned thoroughbred horses for several years, he stabled them at other farms or the track. Now he was ready to start a thoroughbred breeding operation, having acquired approximately 400 acres in Upperville, adjacent to the famous Rokeby Farm (owned by Paul Mellon) on one side and Route 50 on the other. Also included within the property were the grounds to the Upperville Horse Show, the oldest functioning horse show grounds in the United States.

Morgan Wheelock, the landscape architect, brought a background in designing horse farms to the project: with it, his theory that barn design, as well as the farm layout, should be driven by a paramount concern for the health and safety of the horse. The way the building is viewed and placed in the landscape, Wheelock believes, is as important as the design of the building itself. That’s because both the farm layout and the barn design impact the health and safety of the horse; concerns possibly even more apparent when operating a breeding facility for thoroughbreds.

Barns are often perceived as dark, dusty, and uninviting buildings. However, it’s also widely understood among equestrians that the best environment for a horse beyond the great outdoors is an environment that inspires just that. Wheelock bridged these inconsistencies with a design theory that focused on creating natural light and ventilation within the barn. It was a revelation. While the concepts Wheelock professed were simple, they worked — and beautifully — at our first barns at Heronwood Farm.

The barns at Heronwood Farm centered around two guiding design principles: a direct response to the health and safety needs of the horse and design wherein the shapes, forms, and materials are inspired and derived by context.

Aisle at Heronwood Farm - Natural light and ventilation are maximized through a continuous ridge skylight running the length of the barn.

Sagamore Farm: Read about the Barn Renovations at DCmud

Beth Herman’s article about the renovations at Sagamore Farm is published in today’s DCmud. I get a huge smile on my face just thinking about Sagamore and hope you do too after reading the story. The farm is a Maryland landmark and I am grateful that Blackburn has been trusted to contribute to the farm’s storied history.

Aisle at Sagamore Farm

Grant Residence and Artist Studio

Sometimes it’s hard to believe that I’ve been practicing architecture for over 30 years. As a consequence of all that time, I’ve had the opportunity to design all types of facilities, from garages and additions to horse barns to new and renovated residences. Like many architects, I enjoy working with all types of clients and building types, as I’m always eager to confront a new design challenge. So I thought I’d share a residential project that follows the same ideals I always pursue: design that balances the demands of the site with the needs of the owner.

The Grant Residence and artist studio, located on a historic family estate in Ware Neck, Virginia, was designed to fit in the historic architectural context of the pre-Revolutionary War era property. The estate includes an original home, Lowland Cottage, which was built in 1670 and is listed as a registered historic landmark.

The original home, Lowland Cottage, remains on-site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The new artist studio and main house, both designed by Blackburn Architects, were built around stringent wetland requirements, yet they still take advantage of the scenic panoramic river views on three sides of the site.

Both structures feature hardwood floors and French doors throughout, building on the historic context of the Lowland Cottage and other structures on the Ware Neck peninsula. French doors in the main residence lead out to a spacious screened porch with ceiling fans, accessible through the kitchen, living room, and dining room.

An 18’ by 64’ screened porch serves as a welcoming exterior room that stretches the full width of the west side of the house with 180-degree panoramic views of the beautiful sunsets across the Ware River. The room was designed to be usable in all seasons with passive solar heating in the winter, and cooling river breezes in the summer.

The second floor occupies space within the roof using a series of dormers and gables to provide head room for three bedrooms while the master bedroom is on the main floor. Built-in china cabinets enhance the contemporary design of the interior while modern lighting focuses attention on the highlights of each specific room. The lighting is adjustable for showcasing artwork, including that of the artist-owner.

The artist studio complements the cottage-style of the main residence and the original Lowland Cottage. Both buildings were designed to comply with the requirements of the Historic Review Commission.

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Weather Advisory: May you and your horses stay safe!

We’ve had our fair share of Mother Nature in DC as of late. Last week brought a relatively mild yet rare 5.8 quake (and apparently those of us in the District could use a lesson in Earthquake 101, based upon our reaction). While I’m curious to know how horses in the area reacted to the scare, it wasn’t surprising to read articles about how the animals and critters at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park appeared to be the first to know.

Where were you during the earthquake? Did you know what it was? Were any of you riding? While I was stuck indoors that day, I remember that it was a particularly beautiful, temperate, and seemingly calm afternoon. I hope everyone and their four-legged friends did OK.

Three days later, it’s Friday afternoon in the District and, once again, the weather gives no impression that anything’s amiss. But this time we know better. Weather forecasters are in overdrive, studying the direction and predicting the trail of Hurricane Irene. The storm threatens most of the East Coast, with several states, including our neighbors Maryland and Virginia, issuing a state of emergency. I can only hope that those of you that are or will be affected by Hurricane Irene take these warnings very seriously and are able to bring yourself and your family (and horses) to safer ground or have taken all precautions.

Image from The Weather Channel

If you or your horses have been affected by this onslaught of extreme weather, please let us know how you are doing and if there’s anything those of us who are concerned can do to help. The Florida Horse website has a helpful article on how to prepare yourself and your horses for the worst. Here’s another one from the Virginia Horse Council.

STAY SAFE! 

 

Capital Improvements Announced at Saratoga Race Course: Blackburn to Revive the Backstretch

Blackburn Architects is pleased to be a part of the improvement plans at the historic Saratoga Race Course. We are working with NYRA (New York Racing Association) to improve the backstretch area and its facilities to increase safety and efficiency for workers, riders, and horses. All of the proposed improvements for the frontside and backside at the track are outlined on NYRA’s website; the public is invited to provide comment and feedback. A community forum takes place at the Saratoga Springs City Center on Thursday, September 1 at 6:30 p.m. Renderings of the proposed work is on display at the City Center through September 2nd.

NYRA President and CEO Charles Hayward says, “The projects we choose to undertake will not be determined unilaterally. We recognize that part of what makes Saratoga Race Course so special is its deep integration and embracement by the community. All of us at NYRA truly look forward to hearing from the public as we prepare to make essential and intelligent changes to bolster the fan experience and to secure the future of Saratoga.”

Please read more about the proposed improvements for the frontside and backstretch at Saratoga in the official press release.

Private Barn: Montana

Designed in response to an adjacent new residence and in the style of existing barns on the private ranch, this eight-stall barn in Montana uses heavy timber framing and western cedar siding.

The program includes wash and grooming stalls, a lounge/office, large tack rooms, and a loft with a balcony that overlooks an outdoor arena. The barn’s deep overhangs create covered areas to wash and groom horses outdoors while a continuous translucent ridge skylight allows generous amounts of natural light within the barn.

Program 8-stall barn, outdoor arena, service building

Completion 2004

A translucent continuous ridge skylight provides ample natural light within the barn's interior

Western cedar siding evokes a natural look so the barn may suit the landscape

The loft area has plenty of natural light while the deck is the perfect spot to relax and watch riders in the nearby outdoor arena

Being in the middle of nowhere sure has its perks.

Devine Ranch: Aptos, CA

Located on a stunning 80-acre site in Aptos, Devine Ranch is designed with the temperate climate, ocean breezes, and scenic overlooks in mind. The eight-stall barn (six stalls with paddocks) lies in close proximity to the new 7,000 sq. ft. residence, also designed by Blackburn Architects.

Program 8-stall barn, two service buildings, covered round pen, open arena, paddocks

Completion 2003

 

Chew Mail Pouch: Old Tobacco Barns

Just the other day, I came across a great blog entry about Mail Pouch Tobacco barns in Pennsylvania. The blogger, Pamela Simmons, wondered what became of the old barns she so vividly remembered dotting the landscape along highways in Western Pennsylvania. Read her article for some background info and a few terrific photos. I’d relish the chance to restore a big old barn like one of these Pennsylvania beauties; unfortunately, they seem to be few and far between these days. Please share your own photos or memories of the types of barns you recall seeing on car trips as a child or young adult.