The English Gambrel roof style appeared in the second half of the nineteenth century and became popular after the Civil War. The gambrel roof is, in essence, a gable roof that has been pushed outwards. The obvious advantage for doing this is the increased space in the loft created by the bulging four-plane form (Arthur A. Hart, Barns of the West). Due to its complexity, the gambrel roof is more costly to build but they have often been used to replace worn-out gable roofs (Allen Noble and Richard Cleek, The Old Barn Book).
The English gambrel, unlike the Dutch gambrel, possesses straight eaves.
Spokane County has four listed barns that are built in the English gambrel style, the Johnson Homestead, Clyde Krick Farm, Mittelstaedt Farm and the Tom Morrow Barn. The Clyde Krick barn is a unique combination of both the English gambrel and broken gable roof styles.
