University of Connecticut, Jacobson Barn

Stabilization Assessment and Restoration

Associated Builders and Contractors Award

Also known as Farwell Barn, Jacobson Barn is a classic 19th century post-and-beam framed clapboarded barn, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1870 as part of the Farwell family farm, the barn was acquired in 1911 by the Connecticut Agricultural College, which later became the University of Connecticut. One of the few Connecticut barns protected by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Jacobson Barn has historical significance as a symbol of the area’s agricultural foundations, as well as a record of the development of Connecticut’s higher education system.

Architecturally, the Jacobson Barn has significance as an example of a gable-entry banked barn, a type common to the late 19th century Connecticut countryside. The ravages of time and disuse had led to deterioration so extensive as to threaten the continued endurance of this historically important structure. Hoffmann Architects + Engineers was retained by the university to establish the condition of building components and to develop a scope of work, including construction cost estimates, for stabilizing and weatherproofing the barn.