I spotted this old tobacco barn en route to a friend’s house in rural Connecticut. I immediately pulled over to admire it -- too bad if I was running late. It’s a practical, yet artful, vernacular building type that has survived a waning New England industry. The hinged vertical boards open to ventilate drying cigar leaf tobacco. The crisp, standing-seam roof nicely contrasts the aging, red exterior, crowning the old with the new. Check out Connecticut Valley Vernacular by James F. O’Gorman for more information about these impressive work buildings and the industry that created them.

Also, (since it never hurts to ask) if you’re in the market to respectfully adapt an obsolete tobacco barn to a residential or creative use, let me know. It would be a dream project.

by Katie Hutchison for the House Enthusiast