Sunnyfield Barn is significant under Criterion C in the Area of Architecture as a quintessential example of an Improvement Era Barn. It was constructed in 1927, which is also the period of significance. In the Farm Bureau’s annual report, they called it a “demonstration barn” because it was built as a model of best practices to show other farmers. Modern features included washable concrete floors, gutters, and long rows of windows for light. This design accommodated new milking machines they had recently acquired. A detached milk house kept the milk clean and refrigerated. Utah State University’s Extension Service provided plans for the “ground stable” design. The reason it became a demonstration barn was that two brothers George and Virgil Stallings built it during the time that George Stallings served as President of the Utah Farm Bureau. In this role serving twenty thousand members, George advocated for farmers and shared ways they could increase their efficiency, sanitation, and yields. Upon the barn’s completion in 1927 and during subsequent years, local Farm Bureau members toured the barn to benchmark ways that they could better their operations. The very term “Improvement Era barn” highlights that it was built during a period of farming modernization, and this barn epitomized the movement. Today, it is significant as the largest and most recognizable architectural landmark in Eden, similar to but smaller than the McPolin barn in Park City (NRIS #03000155). It is also the largest extant Improvement Era barn in the Ogden Valley and a physical reminder of Ogden Valley’s agricultural past.
