News

Barn Preservation
State to Aid Barn Restoration
Approximately $2 million is called for in the 2000-2001 state budget to fund a program that will help barn owners pay for repair and restoration work. Senator Nancy Larraine Hoffmann, Chair of the State Agriculture Committee, spearheaded the member item that will pay for part of the program. In Hoffmann's view, "These barns are cathedrals on our landscape. We can't duplicate them at any price today; they're part of our heritage, and we should do all we can to preserve them."

Senator Hoffmann estimates that thousands of barns in New York are in disrepair and that hundreds collapse each year. And, she says, the need to assist farmers in their repair efforts is great. "The expense involved in roof repair, replacing posts and beams, and cabling is enourmous." When in place, New York's barn grant program promises to be the most generous in the nation. Iowa and Vermont currently offer "bricks and mortar" barn preservation programs. According to Eric Gilbertson, spokesperson for the Vermont Division of Historic Preservation, the legislature in his state has spent about $50,000 for barn repair. The Iowa Barn Foundation has awarded over $117,000 in matching grants since 1997.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation is likely to be the agency responsible for administering this grant program. Eligibility and award criteria are being developed now. According to Senator Hoffmann, the grants are likely to be awarded on a point system with higher priorities given to barns that are returned to agricultural uses. The owner may be asked to match the funding provided by the state.

No grant application deadline has been established. The Barn Preservation page in future issues of the Preservation League's newsletter will provide updates on the program as more information becomes available. For further information, contact the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation at (518) 237-8643.

New York State Barns Sought for Book
Photographer and writer David Plowden is seeking architecturally significant barns still in use to include in his forthcoming book, scheduled for publication in Fall 2001 by W.W.Norton and Company. Plowden, the author of and contribtor to dozens of publications, may be best known for his photography in Wayne County: The Aesthetic Heritage of a Rural Area, Bridges: The Spans of North America, and Small Town America in addition to his numerous one-man exhibitions.

Plowden is requesting help in locating important barns and their current owners so that he can contact them. He is particularly interested in examples from Western and Central New York, the Mohawk and Susquehanna, and Schoharie valleys, and the Southern Tier but welcomes the identification of outstanding barns throughout the state. According to Plowden, he intends to "try to capture on film the essence of these beautiful, important, and endangered structures before they vanish from our landscape" with the hope that his book "will make us aware of the value of barns and perhaps in some way serve as a catalyst for their preservation."

David Plowden plans to travel throughout New York this summer. All suggestions should be directed to Plowden by phone (847) 446-2793, fax (847) 446-2795, or e-mail at dplowden@enteract.com.

*reprinted from the Summer 2000 issue of NEWS, published by the Preservation Leaugue of New York State

© 2008 New York State Barn Coalition