September 2020 | Page 78

Heavy Metal Designed for American soldiers during World War II, the unassuming Quonset hut has never drawn raves for its looks. And being left unoccupied for years — aside from the possum family that had moved in — simply added insult to injury for this Tiverton example, a dilapidated former ammunition shed. “Any structure for us that’s weird or a bit different captures us,” says Blair Moore, whose family firm, Moore House Design, bought and rescued it from demolition about five years ago. “The only other interested buyer wanted to bulldoze it.” By combining the steel corrugated building with a onetime upholstery shop next door, the Moores created a 2,600-square-foot, conversation-worthy residence that presides over almost an acre of mature trees and farmland.