Bookshelf    BARN: Preservation and Adaptation, The Evolution of a Vernacular Icon

BARN: Preservation and Adaptation, The Evolution of a Vernacular Icon

BARN: Preservation and Adaptation, The Evolution of a Vernacular Icon
Elric Endersby, Alexander Greenwood, and David Larkin (Rizzoli, 2014)

This gorgeously photographed book surveys a broad spectrum of preserved and repurposed historic barns. Some are residences, some workspaces, some businesses (hardware stores and plant nurseries, antique shops and book barns, a Delaware County church). Two house indoor pools; muddy livestock and hay are conspicuously absent. Instead, we’re treated to glorious vaulting spaces with muscular timber framing and every possible texture of wood. There are elevation drawings and step-by-step photos of many conversions-in- progress. Photos detail variations in cupolas, silos, and barn doors; a glossary explains such evocative terms as anchorbent, gin pole, marriage marks, and purlin struts. Those who love these magnificent structures will applaud the authors’ exhortation to “Save the Barn!”

Barn_Endersby