CORNELL UNIVERSITY: BIG RED BARN

CLIENT
Cornell University 

LOCATION
Ithaca, New York

STRUCTURE
The Big Red Barn, located on Cornell University’s campus in Ithaca, NY, is a former carriage house which was constructed in 1874. Currently, it functions as the graduate student union. While its construction is similar of a barn in general proportions and form, its structural members are far lighter framed and lacked proper bracing, characteristic of traditional barns. Since its early construction, the Barn has undergone numerous renovations and additions.

CHALLENGE
The issues facing the University relative to the Barn were whether or not the building had been appropriately modified and reinforced over the intervening hundred years, whether the building might be more appropriately used in some other capacity than as a student gathering spot, and whether the building possessed any historic significance other than its association with the adjacent mansion.

SCOPE OF SERVICE
  • Provide an assessment of the existing structure.
  • Provide historical documentation and review of the nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Evaluate the interventions that have been performed during the past renovation campaigns.
  • Advise the client as to the consequences that have resulted and the current status of the structure.
SOLUTION
  • We provided a report detailing our analysis of the existing condition of the Barn’s structure. We found it to be habitable in a safe and secure manner in the short term, but expressed that permanent and more invasive reinforcement is necessary beyond that.
  • We researched and incorporated in our report a chronology of renovations which took place over the past 100 years and a review of the success of each intervention.
  • We evaluated potential adaptive reuse options for the Barn and addressed the necessary required remediation that would bring it up to code and safety standards.