Even though it’s in rough shape, the former carriage house across from the Elms on Stow Road will not be destroyed. It will be moved to Watch Hill, Rhode Island. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
The fate of the large barn associated with the Great Elms farmhouse on Stow Road has drawn lots of attention, while a more modest structure across the street seemed worthy only of demolition. But looks can be deceiving.
Ken Thompson, representing Deschenes & Cooper Architectural Millwork, the company that bought the small building, told the Conservation Commission the forlorn building was a carriage house likely dating to the late 1700s.
Thompson plans to carefully dismantle the original wood-pegged, timber-framed structure piece by piece and reconstruct its hand-hewn timbers on a private property near Watch Hill, R.I. Deschenes & Cooper will also try to save as many of the roofing slates as possible to use for future projects. Thompson, who is certified to handle lead paint, will dispose of the lead paint-covered clapboards.
One end of the carriage house was added later. It is in poor repair, and will not be salvaged.
Stow Road will be partially obstructed during the time-consuming deconstruction, which is expected to begin in three or four weeks.
As for the prominent barn, “That’s a sweet barn,” Thompson told the commission. Thompson said he thought the barn was probably built in the mid-1800s. “It’s rare to see a barn that age really straight and tall. That should probably stay on the property,” he said.
CHOICE, a nonprofit arm of the Chelmsford Housing Authority, bought the four-acre Great Elms last September. The property, which provided five affordable rental units for 25 years, is deed restricted to affordable housing use.
After failing to find an in-town buyer, CHOICE sold the barn and the carriage house to an intermediary buyer, who then sold the carriage house to Deschenes & Cooper. According to Thompson, the barn is still available.
