The Hotchkiss Barn is a unique 19th-century eclectic masonry barn. The Hotchkiss Barn is the oldest major building in the North Fork Valley surrounding the Town of Hotchkiss and reflects the agricultural nature of the area. It was built by Enos T. Hotchkiss, who led a group of settlers into the area in August 1881, and who was instrumental in founding the town that bears his name.
The barn itself is unique because of its 12-inch-thick walls of brick and its transverse timber frame structure. These bricks, made close to the site beginning in 1885, gave birth to a masonry industry that provided bricks for several other prominent buildings nearby. The timber columns were hand-hewn and then joined with rough-sawn beams and braces using pegged mortise and tenon joints.
In 2010, a macroburst left the building with ¼ of its roof demolished and its brick walls in a shattered condition. There is a large hole at the southwest end that leaves the remainder of the building susceptible to further damage from rain, wind, and snowstorms. The wythes of the remaining brick walls have separated and are in danger of collapse.
Currently, under private ownership, restoration of the Barn would hopefully allow for public access and a variety of community events, including barn dances that were historically held in the space in the late 1880s. CPI learned that a new wall will be built at the start of the damaged section. The status is unknown, but restoration is underway, which gives hope for the future of this site.