Wooden Barns ~ A Casualty of the Modern Age

With the addition of every new Pole Barn, a wooden barn has likely been lost. These low cost replacements lack a lot of the Americana charm of the classic wooden barn architectural designs. With the rising prices of wood and labor, most of the existing wooden barns are not being preserved, but are being replaced by these modern, and usually very generic, aluminum barns.

All Photographic Images were taken by me in Upstate New York, in the areas of Wheatland, Scottsville, Lima, and Ionia.

Looking at the windows of the photo above, this barn looks to me like a conversion for another purpose. Bravo to the farmer for remodeling and repurposing a fabulous looking barn.

Every other barn image on this page was taken by me in the Greater Rochester area in Upstate New York. I featured this one to give major credit to the preservation society in New Jersey for taking the time and money to save a slice of American architectural history.

This pole Barn was built before the impending collapse of the barn in the foreground it was to replace.

I started to miss the wooden barn before that even occurred. :)

As you can see, this barn is quite close to the road. I did wonder if it would collapse onto the street at some point.

I believe it just may have collapsed since it still is there 6 months later. Some of the wood has gone, hopefully recycled since barn wood is a valuable commodity for reclaimed flooring and craft-style furniture.

Apparently my earlier fears were unfounded as the debris fell safely on the side of the barn.

This barn has watched commerce squeeze in from all sides. Long ago it was probably a good bit further from the road than it is now.

During my lifetime, the road known as a major route running from upstate new york and south went from a regular 2 way street to a 4 lane highway with very wide shoulders. Do we see a 6 lane highway in the future? Maybe so. At the very least it was classified as a U.S. Route in 1926. I have little doubt it began as a dirt road well prior to that time. I'll have to do some research on that.

This photo was taken from the parking lot of the Post Office, which shares parking with the Volunteer Fire Department. Or maybe the Fire department shares with the Post Office. All I know that they have been there a long time, but not quite as long as the barn. Well, maybe the road WAS there first.

Across the street is an old building that over the past 20 years housed a mom and pop corner store next to an insurance office, then the same Corner Store and small, but really good, Pizza Shop. Finally, the same and now great and still privately owned Pizza and Submarine Sandwich (a.k.a. Sub, Hoagie, Grinder, Torpedo, Hero) shop took over the whole building.

...Gravel Ponds.

Away from my usual route, this is a barn slated for destruction next to the Post Office in Ionia, New York.

OK, beyond the natural dilapidation that has already occurred.

Update: 3 years later, it's still standing, but looking a little rough. Any chance it's in negotiation for renewal? Here's hoping.