Dedicated in 1996, the reconstruction of George Washington’s famous 16-sided barn is the centerpiece of Mount Vernon’s new Pioneer Farmer exhibition depicting Washington’s contribution to the field of agriculture. Working from a list of original construction materials and Washington’s written description of the barn’s intended geometry, QUINN EVANS | ARCHITECTS created documents for a historically accurate reconstruction of the treading barn (circa 1792). Using computer technology as an investigative tool, QE|A built upon prior historical research of the barn’s construction. Working with the tools of high resolution scanning, computerized photo enhancement, and CAD modeling, an 1870 photograph of the then-dilapidated barn became a source of important dimensional and structural information and contributed to the authenticity of the reconstruction. An on-site video interprets the art of historical construction methods gleaned and documents the project’s exciting process of discovery. |
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