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Through a series of articles titled, Going Down the Road, The New York Times has been looking back at states and landmarks from the WPA-produced American Guide series of books and is chronicling changes in the American landscape. A recent addition to the series, Vanishing Barns Signal a Changing Iowa, caught our attention. Sometimes, there’s nothing more romantic to an urbanite than a turn-of-the-century barn...
Although we wish that agribusiness hadn't swallowed up so many smaller family farms, there is a silver lining for those looking to restore a piece of Americana. If you’re fantasizing about a country house, Barn Pages lists 243 barns for sale, which are priced according to condition. Our favorite is above, a dairy barn in Rome, New York built in 1905 with a slate roof and hayloft. Most of the barns need to be moved from the land they're on. For help, The Barn People can disassemble, restore and reassemble your chosen barn. They have some barn eye candy on their site.
If, like us, you have to come back down to reality, and settle for just a piece of a barn, there’s always Barntiques. For the DIYer's, Barn Pages also list old barn wood for sale. Or maybe just a trip to the Flatbush Family Farm and Bar(n) will satisfy your barn cravings.
Links:
The New Jersey Barn Company also moves and rebuilds antique barns
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yes, very romantic... until you get a heating bill! :-)
view kimg924's profile
I'm from Iowa and found that NYT slideshow on falling-down Iowa barns to be almost heartbreaking, but I think the idea of moving into a barn is highly silly. They were built for animals and hay, not people.
view Jenny in DC's profile
it wasn't until i moved to Iowa that i truly understood the beauty of the midwest landscape- the barns really are the "cherry on top". even the dilapidated ones are really beautiful against the huge sky and rolling hills.
but i agree, the idea of living in one... (bats! owls! mice! oh my!) not so appealing...
i'll settle for the salvaged wood, thanks!
view abbatron's profile