Pierce Springhouse and Barn
The Pierce Springhouse and Barn, also known as the Art Barn, is an historic barn and springhouse in Rock Creek Park.
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The Pierce Springhouse, located in Rock Creek Park on the green median strip between the dual lanes of Tilden Street, NW, is constructed of blue granite that was quarried locally at a nearby Broad Branch Quarry. The structure has two stories, with a brick chimney and a gabled wood shingled roof. The building of the Springhouse predated the erection of an other existing buildings at the former Peirce Plantation site.
The Pierce Springhouse and Barn are part of the remains of the Isaac Peirce Plantation that, during the early 1800s, was a prosperous farm and grist mill operation. The Springhouse, used to cool milk and butter, was the first structure built, constructed in 1801. The barn was one of several built by Peirce, and its construction also predated the construction of the Mill, which is the focal point of the Plantation remains.
Notably, the barn was repurposed in the 1970s for use as an art gallery, known as the Art Barn.
DC Inventory: November 8, 1964
National Register: September 6, 1990
