Westwind Barn was built in 1947 or 1948 during the construction boom that followed the end of World War II. After purchasing some 30 acres between Altamont Road and Central Drive, Frank Ellithorpe built a six-stall barn for Arabian and Morgan horses.
The original six-stall barn resembled the gambrel-roofed barns found in New England. A Gambrel roof is a gable roof with two slopes on each side – the lower slope being steeper. Historically, there were two "gambrels" in old barns which were used for the hanging of carcasses at butchering time. According to a "Natural History - An Age of Barns" - "The word derives from the hock (or the bent part) of a horse's leg, which is also called a gambrel - as is the bent rafter line of the roof."
Although a gambrel-roofed barn is more difficult to build, one of the benefits of this style is that it allows considerably more hay storage area under the roof than a gable roof design. The hay loft in Westwind Bam is very large.
Another feature of the original barn built by Frank Ellithorpe was the "cupola" which added beauty to the barn's roof. The cupola is generally placed in the center of the roof. The cupola on the original 6-stall barn has louvers, reminiscent of the Connecticut Valley type of barn cupolas. Although a nice design feature, the cupola also had a practical purpose beyond the artistic – it provided ventilation for the storage area below. The weather vane perched atop
the cupola served as a lightening rod.
The timbers used in the six-stall barn are of much better quality than those used in today's barns.
In 1965 Lila Lee Ellithorpe (very likely Frank's widow) sold the Barn and 23 acres to Robert D. Clement. Robert Clement added a back wing to the Barn with 17 additional stalls, a tack room, and a riding arena. The Clements owned Westwind Barn for just over 5 years. They built their home in front of the Barn. In 1971 Countess Margit Bessenyey purchased the Barn and 19.65 acres from the Clements. The Countess added the third wing to the Barn and other
elegant touches, which included the ornate double oak door entry (carved in Mexico) and the elaborate spiral stairway (imported from France). A full-sized dressage ring was built and a difficult cross country course was added.
In 1975 the Town of Los Altos Hills acquired a portion of the property for $25,000 and Countess Bessenyey made a gift to the Town of the remaining 13 and one-half acres and the 24,000 square foot "U" shaped barn. The Town Council leased the Barn to the Friends of Westwind
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Some Architectural Plans of the Barn that were created 2009 in connection with a renovation project may be seen by clicking here. (Two-page PDF document)
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