March, 1923 
structure, with its flare of rich color and 
other unmistakeable signs of its ancient 
lineage, affords the experience-hunter a 
thrill cf real pleasure. And to discover fur¬ 
ther that the old relic of Colonial days has 
been remodeled to present day uses, though 
still retaining the earmarks of age and the 
homespun aspect of its traditional calling, 
is of sufficient interest to make an impres¬ 
sion upon even the lay mind. 
Built close to the old country road, as 
was the custom in Colonial days, and near 
a lively little stream from which the settle¬ 
ment takes its name, “Three Bams” con¬ 
sisted originally of a trio of weathered and 
time-worn buildings of which the gambrel- 
roofed barn was the important feature. A 
carriage shed adjoining and a smaller 
addition in shape of an “L” formed a 
courtyard. Entrance to this is effected 
through a typical and highly picturesque 
barn gate. 
(Continued on page 98) 
The old-fashioned 
fireplace, with gen¬ 
erous ingle-nook 
and high-hacked 
settles, will burn 
8' logs. Behind its 
massive hood is a 
“drying room”, as 
in days of old, 
for rain-wet coats 
A stairway of rough- 
hewn oak was built 
to replace the ladder 
which led to the 
h a y - m o w —now 
converted into a 
balcony. In char¬ 
acter with the in¬ 
terior are the 
benches and trestle 
table 
“THREE BARNS” 
An Architectural Trilogy 
HARRIET SISSON GILLESPIE 
R estoring old houses 
and remodeling barns into 
charming homes without 
loss of their original character has 
become a fascinating game for 
architects. It has been done ex¬ 
ceedingly well many times, but 
perhaps never more effectively 
than in “Three Barns”, the studio 
home of Mr. and Mrs. John Ken¬ 
neth Byard at Silvermine, Con¬ 
necticut. Here is one of those 
happy architectural inspirations 
that now and again delight the 
lover of the picturesque. In this 
case, it is the renaissance of a 
primitive farm group to meet the 
demands of modem living with¬ 
out the loss of its personality. 
The old red barn, so familiar 
a sight in rural New England 
fifty or a hundred years ago, is 
seldom seen now. In these pro¬ 
saic times, then, to catch a 
glimpse among the Connecticut 
hills of a quaint gambrel-roofed 
