THE ENGLISH BARN AT THE KENNEDY-MARTIN-STELLE FARMSTEAD,

BERNARDS TOWNSHIP, NJ

S. Harris & Co. is proud to be working once again with Historic Building Architects as structural engineer for this stabilization project.  The English Barn is part of a complex of vernacular frame buildings, ranging in construction date from the 1700s to the 1900s.  The complex is located in Bernards Township, New Jersey, on the banks of the Passaic River near Interstate Route 78.  While the Kennedy-Martin-Stelle Farmstead is noted for two prominent 18th Century owners; Rev. Samuel Kennedy, a local minister and educator, and Col. Ephraim Martin, an American Revolutionary War soldier and state legislator; its historical significance is chiefly architectural. The large early barn, a major contributor to this architectural significance,  is the centerpiece of the diverse group of buildings.  S. Harris & Co. was called upon to stabilize the English Barn after the adjoining dairy barn collapsed, as seen in the photograph above.

BUILDING DESCRIPTION

The eastern four-bay structure of the main barn is an early example of the English barn type, constructed possibly as early as 1760 and not later than about 1800.  Two rare features still survive: hewn rafters with pegged wind braces and a "dropped" stable at the eastern end, which is at a lower level than the main floor.  A three-bay extension was added to the west of the structure around 1840, using the frame of an existing smaller English barn of the same mortise-and-tenon, hewn timber construction as the main barn.  The interior photograph to the right shows the hewn timber structural members of Bents D, E and F looking south into the connection between the English barn and the dairy barn, which was added in the early 20th century.

PHYSICAL CONDITIONS ASSESSMENT

The main structural members were carefully assessed and documented using photographs and measured drawings produced in AutoCAD.  The columns and beams are in various states of deterioration.  The rafter plates on the north side of the structure have a significant amount of damage.  This coupled with the pressure the collapsed dairy barn placed on the English barn caused some displacement of structural members.  A number of joints between structural members have released.  The photo to the left shows deterioration of the barn cladding, a structural column, and the foundation wall at the southeast corner of the barn.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The first priority of the stabilization effort was to relieve the pressure the dairy barn was putting on the English barn.  Temporary steel supports and cross strapping were installed to keep the structure in place.  Once the emergency stabilization was complete, the debris from the collapsed dairy barn was removed and work began on long-term stabilization.  The photo to the right shows the site after the removal of the collapsed debris.  The roof of the connector between the English barn and the dairy barn, which is seen in the photo, has since been removed to relieve further stress. 

S. Harris & Co. prepared a detailed schedule of all structural and intermediate members of the English barn for the purposes of assessment and treatment recommendations.  The schedule is keyed to AutoCAD drawings of interior sections and each bent of the barn, as seen in the examples below.

The schedule recommends which members should be replaced in kind and identifies those member that can be salvaged.  The columns that can be salvaged will need reinforcing, which includes the insertion of a wood spline and epoxy fill into the deteriorated columns.  Many of the columns have experienced a significant amount of rot.  The reinforcement process will clear away rotted material while maintaining as much original material as possible.  The following AutoCAD drawing, 1/S10,  illustrates the process.

Upon completion of the spline improvements, metal clips will be installed at each joint between structural columns and beams in order to secure the existing connection or to reconnect joints that have released.  The clip dimensions will differ according to the dimensions of the horizontal member to be clipped. 

CONCLUSION

The construction phase of the English barn stabilization project has not yet begun.  Any material, both structural and non-structural, that can be salvaged during construction will be.  Improvements to salvaged material will be done in a visually unobtrusive manner.  Any replacements will be made with materials in kind. 

--S. Harris & Co. Comprehensive Project List--