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Inventory Form
Inventory Document
NR Nomination

LOCATION AND PROPERTY NAME
address:19941 Hwy 36 historic name:Triangle Lake Round Barn
Blachly, Lane County current/other names:
assoc addresses:
block/lot/tax lot:
location descr:At the junction of Swamp Creek Road and Mapleton-Junction City Hwy twnshp/rng/sect/qtr sect:16E 07W 17
PROPERTY CHARACTERISTICS
resource type:building height (stories):1.0 total elig resources:1 total inelig resources:3
elig evaluation: eligible/significant NR Status: Individually Listed
prim constr date:1949 second date: date indiv listed:07/03/2017
primary orig use: AGRICULTURAL: General orig use comments:
second orig use: Animal Facility
primary style: Other / Undefined prim style comments:
secondary style: sec style comments:
primary siding: Concrete Block siding comments:
secondary siding:
plan type: Round Barn architect:John P. Sumich
builder:John P. Sumich
comments/notes:
8-3-2016 - Summer staff working on ILS with the property owner, Ellen Mooney. DJP
GROUPINGS / ASSOCIATIONS
Not associated with any surveys or groupings.
SHPO INFORMATION FOR THIS PROPERTY
NR date listed: 07/03/2017
ILS survey date: 09/09/2016
RLS survey date: 06/27/2016
106 Project(s): None
Special Assess Project(s): None
Federal Tax Project(s): None
ARCHITECTURAL / PROPERTY DESCRIPTION
(Includes expanded description of the building/property, setting, significant landscape features, outbuildings and alterations)
The Triangle Lake Round Barn is located on .27 acres of an early twentieth century dairy farm, situated west of Eugene in the rural Lake Creek community of Blachly, Lane County, Oregon (Figure 4). Constructed between 1946 and 1949, the round barn is a one-and-a-half story building with an 8/12 pitch roof. The barn has a concrete foundation and concrete block walls. Attached to the round barn is a rectangular-shaped milk house and milk parlor, also constructed of concrete. The historic building is a unique vernacular expression of a round dairy barn type that was popularized in the 1910s and 1920s for its reputation for enhancing farm practice efficiency and improving sanitary conditions. The dairy farm property, including the round barn, has changed ownership several times over the years since the designer and builder John P. Sumich constructed the building. He sold the dairy in 1965. Despite the change in ownership and reduction in size of the original acreage, the pastoral setting has retained its historic characteristics which contribute to its high integrity of location and setting. Significant features of the round barn include the central wood stave silo, twelve 24’ support poles, mechanically laminated Douglas-fir beams, and the roof support structure that has a characteristic diaphragm, similar in shape to an umbrella. The aluminum roofing, the tongue-and-groove floor of the second floor haymow, sloped concrete floor that empties into a drainage gutter, and an overhead waste carrier track system are all unique features of the round barn. Every detail has a specific function. The concrete block walls and aluminum sheet roofing material reflect the use of modern materials as opposed to the traditional wood and wood shake roof. A concrete block wall was important for sanitation purposes in a Grade A Dairy, as it was easy to clean and maintain. The end of World War II in 1945 meant there was surplus aluminum available, which made it a cost effective source of roofing material at the time. Over the years, lack of maintenance and deferred use has caused minor-to-severe damage to the building’s historic fabric. Damage to the concrete block walls include cracking at the mortar joints and efflorescence, a white powdery substance on the concrete block surface. Roofing details including the cupola, roof ventilators and aluminum metal sheeting were severely damaged in a 2015 winter storm, further exposing the interior to the elements. Twelve, 24’ interior vertical wood columns are severely deteriorated and in need of replacement. A recent pheasant operation in the barn damaged the second-floor of the haymow. Despite deterioration to exterior and interior materials, the barn retains its original workmanship, materials, and design, which conveys the overall feeling of a vernacular expression of the true round barn type. There are three non-contributing structures located behind the barn: one in the northwest corner of the parcel, one in the southwest corner, and a metal silo on the north side of the property. The northwest corner structure is a 16’ x 20’ horse barn built in 1972. The southwest corner has a 40’x 60’, partially dismantled equipment shed built in 1979. The metal silo that is adjacent to the milk parlor on the north side was erected in 1996 as part of a pheasant operation. All three non-contributing structures are within the .27 acres but are not of historic significance to the original dairy operation.
HISTORY
(Chronological, descriptive history of the property from its construction through at least the historic period - preferably to the present)
John P. Sumich completed construction of the round barn in 1949, three years after construction began in 1946. Sumich’s use of concrete blocks and other locally sourced materials represents a creative interpretation of the round barn type that has been used in the United States beginning in the 1800’s into the early 20th century, when it became popularized by agricultural schools for its efficiency. While it is unclear exactly where Sumich saw the original design that inspired him, there was no similar round barn construction in Oregon. The barn is eligible under National Register Criterion C for architecture as a local example of a vernacular round dairy barn type. During this time in Lane County, dairying and creameries continued to develop as a major industry. The Lake Creek Valley, where the barn is located, was also a thriving timber community with several sawmills, shingle mills, and the churches, schools, post offices and general stores that supported the population in this time frame. The round barn was and remains a landmark in the community.
RESEARCH INFORMATION
Title Records Census Records Property Tax Records Local Histories
Sanborn Maps Biographical Sources SHPO Files Interviews
Obituaries Newspapers State Archives Historic Photographs
City Directories Building Permits State Library
Local Library:Eugene Public Library University Library:University of Oregon
Historical Society:Lane County Historic Museum Other Respository:
Bibliography:
Agricultural Experiment Station Oregon State Agricultural College Corvallis and Bureau of Agricultural Economics United States Department of Agricultural Cooperating. “Graphic Summary of Agriculture and Land Use in Oregon: Preliminary Issue of Selected Maps and Graphs.” December 1935. p 32. Accessed August 2016. https://ccrls.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/oslpublic/ Auer, Michael J. National Park Service, Technical Preservation Services, Preservation Brief 20: The Preservation of Historic Barns. October 1989. Gallagher, Mary. Historic Context Statement: The Barns of Linn County, Oregon 1845-1945. Linn County Planning Department, 1997. Kleywegt, H.S. and J.C. Jofriet. Stave Silo Hoop Design, Hoop Tension and Hoop Tension Losses. School of Engineering. University of Guelph, Ontario NIG 2W1, 1978. Maasdam Barns Preservation Committee. The Louden Litter Carrier at the Maasdam Barns. Accessed December 2016. http://www.jeffersoncountyiowa.com/barns/pp/ppmaasdam-litter.htm McMurry, Sally. "The Impact of Sanitation Reform on the Landscape in U.S. Dairying, 1890-1950." Buildings & Landscapes 20, No. 2, Fall 2013. Minter, Mary Benninger. “History of Lake Creek Valley, Pioneers and Landmarks.” Traveling Children’s Heritage Museum. Greenleaf, Oregon, 1983. Report of the Lane County Agricultural Outlook Conference: Conducted in Eugene, Oregon, January 14 and 15. Dairying Committee Report, 1936. Accessed August 2016. https://ccrls.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/oslpublic/. Rust, Elma. “The Pioneers of Lake Creek Valley (and a few later ones)”. Traveling Children’s Heritage Museum, Greenleaf, Oregon, 1984. Soike, Lowell J. Without Right Angles: The round Barns of Iowa. Des Moines, IA: Iowa State Historical Dept., Office of Historic Preservation, 1983. Smith-Howard, Kendra. Pure and Modern Milk: An Environmental History Since 1900. Cary, NC: Oxford University Press, 2013. Speulda, Lou Ann. "Oregon's Agricultural Development: A Historic Context 1811-1940." 1989. Prepared for State Historic Preservation Office Salem, Oregon SHPO Library. Travis, Dale Oregon Round Barns List and State Historic Preservation Office Historic Sites Database http://www.dalejtravis.com/rblist/rbor.htm. Accessed 9/8/2016. USDA 1910 Historical Census Publication. “Color and nativity of farmers: 1910.” Wright, Sally and David Pinyerd. Northwest Eugene Modernism 1935-65. October 2002. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Service Food and Drug Administration, “Grade “A” Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, 2015 Revision. Gordon Van Tine Farm Buildings. Davenport, IA: Gordon-Van Tine, 1920. Morrow-Taaffe Lumber Company: “Successful Farm Buildings.” Chicago: C.L. Bowes, 1919. Sears, Roebuck and Co., “The Book of Barns, Honor-Bilt-Already Cut.” Chicago: Sears, Roebuck and Co. Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago-Philadelphia. “Modern Farm Buildings, Already Cut and Fitted. Barn Equipment.” Hudson. “Farm Buildings.” H.D. Hudson Manufacturing Co., 1929. Newspapers & Magazines Malheur Enterprise. Vale, Or. August 13, 1910. The Morning Oregonian, “Lane Cattle Healthy,” February 6, 1922. The Morning Oregonian, “3771 Lane Cows are Tested,” November 28, 1921. Pacific Rural Press, “Economy of the Round Dairy Barn,” February 12, 1910. Pacific Rural Press, “Construction of Farm Buildings,” November 12, 1910. Ruralite Magazine. https://www.ruralite, accessed December 2016. U.S. Bureau of the Census 1940 United States Census. FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VRRB-LNL. Accessed August 2016. 1930 United States Census. FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XC92-5QN. Accessed August 2016. 1920 United States Census. FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M482-Q2Y. Accessed August 2016.