Secrest Octagon Barn, Octagonal barn in Downey, Iowa.
The Secrest Octagon Barn is an octagonal agricultural structure in Downey, Iowa, featuring red vertical siding and a bell-shaped roof. The building measures approximately 80 feet in diameter and rises about 75 feet to its cupola.
Master builder George Frank Longerbean constructed this barn in 1883 for Joshua Hunt Secrest as a combined hay and horse stable facility. The octagonal design represented an innovative approach to maximizing interior space for agricultural use during that era.
The National Register of Historic Places recognized this barn in 1974 as an example of innovative agricultural architecture from the late nineteenth century.
The structure sits near Iowa City and is accessible by local roads in a rural setting. Visitors should know this is a historic structure viewed primarily from the exterior, and the grounds may be uneven in places.
The barn's interior was constructed with hand-laminated beams, a technique rarely seen in late 1800s agricultural buildings and showing how local craftsmen employed advanced methods. This handcrafted detail remains one of the building's most interesting features.
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