Anna-Dean Farm

Anna Dean Farm was once a 3,500 acre estate southeast of Barberton, Ohio, laid out by Michael Alexander for match manufacturer Ohio Columbus Barber. Construction ran from about 1899 to 1915 and produced 102 buildings, a forty room mansion and 17 acres of greenhouses, at a cost of more than three million dollars. The farm had fifteen departments, including dairy, horses, pigs, poultry and greenhouses. Most of it has been lost to housing and shopping developments. This district groups twelve surviving pieces: Barn No. 1, the Creamery, the Colt Barn, the Machine Barn, the Piggery, poultry buildings, and two greenhouse areas. The buildings share red tile roofs, brick, and concrete block, with silos, dormers and cupolas. The nomination presents them as evidence of Barber's effort to build a model farm combining efficient, modern methods with distinctive architecture. The farm lost money and ended with Barber's death in 1920, but the remnants mark a notable chapter in Ohio agricultural and architectural history.