Large North Amherst Barn Demolished After Deemed a Safety Risk

A gaping hole in the hearts of North Amherst residents and the streetscape of Montague and Cowls Roads appeared after the demolition of a landmark historical barn. The large barn behind Cowls’ headquarters at 134 Montague Road was demolished this week, having been deemed a safety risk by Building Commissioner Rob Morra. The barn was in the Cowls/Jones family for the past 300 years. A 12-month demolition delay was issued by the Amherst Historical Commission in 2014. The property owner, Cinda Jones, was unable to find a viable way to use the barn and potential relocation sites, including the Emily Dickinson Museum or the Porter Phelps Huntington Museum, did not work out. Aside from the safety risk, Jones said that the low ceilings in the barn made it difficult to use for other activities, and 10 years ago she estimated that the cost of the new roof that the structure needed at $200,000 to $300,000. 

At the Historical Commission public hearing in 2014, it was determined that although most of the structure was sound, the attached building on the south was in poor repair. The Historical Commission noted that the barn was a good example of a cow barn with a shed addition. The main floor was raised to allow a breeze for threshing, and there was a basement for sloughing down manure. Several residents of the neighborhood spoke at the hearing for finding a way to retain the barn as a significant landmark in North Amherst and as a visual buffer to screen Montague Road from the North Square development planned for Cowls Road, which opened in 2019. 

Jones said in 2014 that she had tried to avoid demolition of the 6,000-square-foot structure, but extensive research had not yielded a viable way to keep it. After the demolition, she told the Indy that “the barn was built for cows at cow height and not reusable. It was rotted and condemned, and we still saved many key pieces.” She said that much of the timber is being reused and the rest is being sold for low prices at Cowls Building Supply. The park area at North Square is being expanded to include the cellar hole of the barn, with the sides being rebuilt by Grass Roots Landscaping of Leverett. Jones said she made a sign for the new feature using a board salvaged from the barn.

The three other barns on the property are being preserved, including the barn that has housed Atkins Farms Country Market and Provisions wine, beer, and specialty food store but is now vacant. The other two barns are the tobacco-barn style old trolley barn near Sunderland Road and the Victorian style Hobart barn on the north side of Cowls Road. According to Planner Walker Powell, another demolition delay hearing before the Historical Commission was not required for the cow barn because it was condemned. 

Historic Commission Establishes Barn Preservation Program
To preserve historic barns that are a significant part of Amherst’s agricultural history, the Historical Commission has established a Barn Preservation program to help owners repair and maintain the structures. The website states, “Every year, Amherst loses some of its quintessential rural streetscape as more and more of our beautiful old barns are being removed by homeowners who want the space, a view, or a modern purpose-built building. We have everything from grain, livestock, and dairy barns to carriage houses. The styles vary: we have the English Barn and the New England Barn, Bank Barn, Dutch Barn, and the Swept-Roof Bank Barn. Some are falling into such disrepair that they can only be razed and the Historical Commission has no choice but to allow this, something officially called ‘demolition by neglect.’”