Transforming American History

Targeted for the dumpsters by the “dumbsters” this entire project was saved by Benjamin Nutter Architects. Starting with Ben climbing up a ladder to carefully look at the original barn’s timbers, he knew he had found something historically incredible. For facts, BNA commissioned Doctor Daniel Miles of the Oxford Dendrochronology Laboratory in the U.K., to come and “read” the tree rings on the oak and pine beams to determine the date that the trees were harvested. The conclusion was 1792. Knowing that the barn was thus raised in 1793, our client used this date for identifying the barn. This 1793 barn was then carefully dismantled, preserved, glorified in modern-era ways, and today houses the owner’s extensive military history collection. The project included a 1790 Farmhouse for current living, the amazing 1793 barn turned museum, and an 1806 barn for various agricultural purposes. The original bull barn became a state-of-the-art sugar barn for maple syrup operation, and a small structure was built as a hub to distribute all the electric and cable wiring systems to all the property’s structures via underground conduit. The farm’s photovoltaic array supplies the electric needs of the farm and shares surplus energy to the grid. A new barn for the storage of farm equipment was designed and built in 2021, earning the moniker of The 2021 Barn. Erik Peterson, stone mason, restored every foot of stonewall on the site. The tally is walls is extensive.

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In Media

‍Sustainability in Historic Preservation Perspective Northshore Magazine (Ben Nutter, keynote speaker and BNA Co-Sponsor of Event with Northshore Magazine)

A Brand New History Article in Northshore Magazine

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Awards

2023 PRISM Gold Award for Best Historic Renovation over $1 million

By Builders and Remodelers Association of Greater Boston (BRAGB)

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Photography

Eric Roth