Metal has been a popular siding choice for workhorse-type structures for well over a century – here are just four examples from one small farming community. These buildings, while not generally appreciated from an aesthetic point of view, do shape the perceived character of many small towns by virtue of their sheer ubiquity. Without them, many rural communities would be less interesting.
Strictly functional, c. 1980’s.
This c. 1920 wood structure has been clad with gavanized metal sheets embossed with a brick pattern – even on one of the garage doors! Its neighbors are mid-20th century quonsets.
Former lumber yard, c. 1910. The front is clad with metal stamped to resemble blocks of coursed ashlar.
Brick garage adjacent to quonset hut clad in corrugated sheets, both c. 1950.