University of Wisconsin Dairy Barn (Madison Landmark)

© Photographed October 3, 2015

Erected by Madison Landmarks Commission

Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin

43.074951,-89.41852

Google Maps

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN DAIRY BARN

J.T.W. JENNINGS; ARTHUR PEABODY, ARCHITECTS

1989; 1909, 1916-17

This spectacular barn and silo feature design elements of the French Provincial style inspired by the agricultural buildings of northern France. Jennings was the architect for the main 3-story side-gambrel barn, brick silo, and front-gambrel livestock barns and gabled judging area at the rear. This barn is nationally significant for its association with transformative animal science achievements, pioneering advancements in dairy science, and livestock breeding and health occurred here; the "single-grain experiment" originated in the field of modern, animal nutrition science.

Designated July 18, 2006

The marker is located at the UW-Madison Dairy barn, located at 1915 Linden Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706.

NOTE: The Dairy Barn is not actually on Linden Drive, it is south of Linden Drive, on Farm Place, behind the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, accessible from driveways on either side of the Research Center building (assuming they are not torn up by construction, as they were at the time of my visit). Driving around and parking at the UW-Madison campus can be harrowing. Be sure to check the Google Map (above) and campus maps (below) before heading out.

UW-Madison Campus Map

UW-Madison Map and Parking

Wisconsin Historical Society: National or State Registers Record
1915 Linden Drive, Dane County, Madison
Reference Number: 02000600
Historic Name: University of Wisconsin Dairy Barn
Architect of original section: J.T.W. Jennings

Dates of construction: 1897-1898, 1909, 1916-1917, between 1942 and 1955

The Dairy Barn is located in the agricultural section of the University of Wisconsin campus. The building was constructed as a result of lobbying by the dean of agriculture, William Henry. Chicago architect J.T.W. Jennings designed the exterior. The interior layout was left to the members of the faculty and staff, including Franklin Hiram King, whose developments of farm building ventilation and the use of the tower silo have become standard practice in agricultural design. 

The building was erected in three sections. The main part, designed by Jennings to recall historic barns in Normandy, was built in 1897-1898. Decorative features still extant include half-timbering, decorative brickwork and a heavily bracketed entrance porch. Other features, including cupolas, dormer windows and assorted trim, have been lost over time. This section consists of the main barn and silo, two livestock barns set perpendicular to and attached to the rear of the main barn, and a classroom/stock-judging arena between the two livestock barns. Several additions were added later. 

In addition to its use as a teaching facility for Wisconsin dairy farmers, the Dairy Barn was the site of significant scientific experiments. The most important was the "single-grain experiment." Carried out from 1907 to 1911, this cattle-feeding study overturned the prevailing model of evaluating the nutritional value of foods and laid the foundation for the modern science of nutrition. Other practical scientific techniques were researched, tested and/or taught at the barn; these included identifying cattle for selective breedingand the tracking of cattle pedigrees. Other breeding advances came through developments in the science of artificial insemination. The most important health-related application was the demonstration and teaching of testing techniques for bovine tuberculosis, which led to the eradication of the disease in Wisconsin. Other important advances included an improved test for Brucellosis, a diagnostic test for Johnes disease and measures to control it, and the discovery of the causes of milk fever. These developments were instrumental to Wisconsin's rapid adoption of dairy farming in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which resulted in its reputation as America's dairyland.

The Dairy Barn continues to be used by the University and is open to the public.

Period of Significance: 1897-1951

Area of Significance: Science
Applicable Criteria: Event
Historic Use: Education: Research Facility
Architectural Style: Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals
Resource Type: Building
Architect: Jennings, J.T.W.
Architect: Peabody, Arthur

Historic Status: Listed in the National Register

Historic Status: Listed in the State Register
Historic Status: National Historic Landmark Status Granted
National Historic Landmark Listing Date: 2005-04-05
National Register Listing Date: 2002-05-31
State Register Listing Date: 2002-01-23

The foregoing content used with permission of Wisconsin Historical Society.

UW-Madison completes dairy barn remodeling (March 2013)

National Historic Landmark Designation

National Register of Historic Places: Wisconsin

The property is a National Historic Landmark: Wisconsin

See also, See also, University of Wisconsin Diary Barn (National Historic Landmark), also at this location.

Click here for a list of all markers located on the UW-Madison campus.

The marker is affixed to the north side of the building,

to the right of the entrance.

See also, University of Wisconsin Diary Barn (National Historic Landmark)

The east side of the barn.

Screenshot of vintage postcard provided by CardCow.com.

653. Horticultural, Dairy and

Agricultural Buildings, University of Wisconsin,

Madison, Wis.

The marker is located at the UW-Madison Diary Barn.

The marker is located on the UW-Madison campus.