Does anyone have a firm opinion about what a barn should look like in the Italianate style? The reason I ask is I may be talking with a living history museum about the reconstruction of their barn which burned. An architect has already designed a new barn but it is quite different than the relatively simple gambrel roof barn that burned. I am trying to decide if I should object to the drastic changes in design for a living history museum which historical accuracy is important. The new design has a hip roof, two sidewall barn doors in different locations than the original single sidewall barn door, a gable over one door, two cupolas, and different window arrangement. The new design is attractive but it does not seem appropriate to me to change the style so much and hip roof barns are extremely rare. The Italianate barns I see on the internet are of no particular style but often have a gable over the barn door, eaves overhangs (sometimes decorated), maybe a cupola. In other words any kind of barn which has been dressed up a little.
Thanks;
Jim
