Prairie barn

The peak roof over the hay loft is what helps give the prairie barn its familiarity across the landscape.

[1] Large herds of cattle, associated mostly with the American West, required vast amounts of space for hay and feed.

The long, sweeping style roofs, sometimes reaching very near the ground, are trademark of prairie barns.

Later in the 19th century barn architects adopted gambrel roofs, which provided even more storage space.

Long, low roof lines, gable end doors and the internal dispersal of stable stalls in aisles astride a central hallway are all elements of Dutch barns.