Ojo Caliente Hot Springs Round Barn - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Built in 1924, the Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Round Barn is one of Northern New Mexico’s architectural treasures. Originally created as a dairy cattle operation, the barn now offers a glimpse into the history of the region and agriculture in America.
The original design of the Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Barn was the idea of C.A Sibo a manager at Ojo in the early 1900’s. Sibo modeled it after the round barns built by the Shaker community in Massachusetts in 1824. There are several theories surrounding the architectural design of the first round barn. It is rumored that the Shakers favored the round barn construction so that evil spirits would not have corners to hide in; some historians credit the shape of the Native American teepees and wigwams as an influence on the design.

Although spiritual concerns may have motivated the first round barn, it is the economic benefits that fueled a round barn construction boom in the early 1900’s. In the mid 1800’s and early 1900’s round barns were considered to be economically beneficial in several ways. The round shape allowed for more square footage with the same amount of siding as a rectangular barn. The cyclical shape also lends itself to natural feeding patterns of cattle and livestock. Hay was pitched from the top and manure shoveled from trap door behind. With all of the cattle facing the center, the farmers had to only walk a few steps to complete the feed. The size and shape of the barns allowed hay wagons to travel with ease and without turning around. With the evolution of larger machinery that would not fit into the barn doors and modernized feeding systems that were more efficient, the round barn is no longer an economic advantage, but remains an architectural gem.

The Ojo Caliente Round Barn was originally created as a dairy cattle operation intended to supply the hotel dining room with dairy products. When it was no longer financially sound for the hotel to supply it's own dairy the barn fell into disuse. In the years that followed many locals utilized the barn as stables for horses. On November 17, 1985 the barn was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 1988, the barn was featured in the film Young Guns starring Lou Diamond Phillips and Emilio Estevez.

A complete restoration of the barn was complete in December 2002. The restoration successfully preserved the historical treasures of the barn while creating a modern spiritual setting that has become a tourist attraction and in the near future, host to many cultural seminars, yoga retreats and special events.

County / Borough / Parish: Taos Year listed: 2003 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1900-1924, 1925-1949, 1950-1974 Historic function: Agriculture/Subsistence Current function: Recreation And Culture, Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Street address: Not listed Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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