These barns were banked and set into a hillside to ensure easy access to the basement and the level above.
[2]: 56 The Pennsylvania-style barns were also built in the Shenandoah Valley, as well as west of Pennsylvania and in Canada.
The key characteristic in identifying this type is the forebay, built so that the gable end is symmetrical, with both front and rear walls being the same height.
The name reflects the barn's probable origin in Switzerland.
New barns were based on the Standard but with more space added to the forebay side, ramp side, or by being made taller and adding another floor (storey) level.