Hay Barn | statue, ruins, historic ruins

USA / New Jersey / Raritan /
 statue, ruins, historic ruins
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Another barn, but one that met a very different fate. The property’s old hay barn was built in 1900 and destroyed by fire in 1915, leaving only its fieldstone foundation. Years later, Doris Duke decided to place marble statues along its interior walls, creating a rustic sculpture garden.

The result is a gallery like no other. There’s grass instead of floors and ivy-coated rock work instead of walls. The ceiling is nothing but open sky. Weathered and broken in spots, the statues on display blend seamlessly with their surroundings, as if they had been sculpted by the elements and not the hand of man.

Adding to the site’s allure are majestic sycamores that line the road next to it. Speaking of roads, one zips right through the hay barn itself, entering beneath one graceful arch, past a few statues and exiting through another arch. Nearby is a full-size reproduction of the “Farnese Bull,” the largest single statue recovered from ancient times. The original dates to the second century and now resides at a museum in Naples, Italy.
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Coordinates:   40°32'55"N   74°37'19"W

Comments

  • At the time of its construction, the Hay Barn was near the center of farming activity, but as more land was purchased and the farming moved elsewhere, the structure was no longer needed as a hay press. Following a fire in January 1915, the building remained abandoned. Doris Duke used the ruins as an outdoor sculpture gallery, placing individual marble statues of human figures in linear arrangements along the walls, which can still be seen today.
This article was last modified 7 years ago