History
Cowell Ranch Hay Barn: Then and Now
The original Hay Barn was built in the 1860s as part of the Davis and Cowell lime works operation. It featured mortise and tenon timber framing, a technique popular in the 19th century. Contruction details suggest that an east cost carpenter or shipwright built the original barn.
In 1889, Henry Cowell became the sole proprietor of the lime works operation. From the 1860s to the early 1920s, the Cowell Lime Works Operation was the largest lime manufacturer in California. During this time the Hay Barn was used to store hay for livestock.
The Cowell Lime Works District was purchased by the University of California in the early 1960s.
By the 1990s the Hay Barn had fallen into disrepair, and in 2010 the campus launched a major effort to rebuild it. The barn was carefully dismantled in 2014 and many of the original framing timbers, redwood sill plates, and siding peices salvaged to use in its reconstruction.
In designing the new barn the architects maintained many of the historic features, including the large, open interior flanked by a narrower bay, sliding doors ont he barn’s gable ends, exposed interior framing, and board and betten exterior siding.
Members of the Timber Framers Guild raised the frame of the new hay barn on March 21st, 2015.
Today, the Hay Barn serves as a space of public use, and as the hub of operations of the UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology. The UCSC Center for Agroecology works to advance agroecology and equitable food systems through experiential education, participatory research, agricultural extension, and public service.
The Hay Barn is situated at the base of the 30 acre UCSC Farm which features organically managed row crops, orchards, research plots, and an aquaculture research facility.
