ELGIN - Ken Teeple said he always knew his family farm’s barn was interesting, but growing up, he had no idea that some would consider it an important piece of American architecture.
Artists would come onto the property occasionally and ask whether they could “paint” the 16-sided structure, the only one of its kind in Illinois.
“We’d say, ’Yeah, use a 4-inch brush and start on the south side,’ ” he said. His great-grandfather, Lester, erected the structure in 1885, long before the paved surfaces of Randall Road and Interstate 90 passed near the site.
While many in the area have marveled from the outside of the barn, this “prairie cathedral” is now on the National Register of Historic Places and has been certified as an official project of “Save America’s Treasures,” a public-private partnership between the National Parks Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
And this Saturday marked another chapter in the work being done by admirers of the barn, including Teeple, to rehabilitate the structure.
AgTech, an off-shoot of the Kane County Farm Bureau, is trying to raise at least $149,000 in cash donations to take advantage of a challenge grant opportunity made possible by U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Yorkville.
Lovers of old barns got a chance to look inside the structure Saturday during an open house, hosted by AgTech. The group hopes eventually to make it a future resource center for agricultural science and heritage.
Cold, strong winds on Saturday brought creaking sounds into the old barn, which is far from being considered a weather-tight structure. |
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But inside, guests marveled at the barn’s balloon frame that climbs to a newly restored windowed cupola 85-feet above ground.
“It’s the most interesting structure I’ve ever seen for its time,” said Sarosh Saher, Elgin’s urban design and historic preservation specialist, who helps out AgTech.
“Rarely do you get a 16-sided structure even in modern-day architecture.”
Saturday’s event was meant to bring awareness about the barn and ignite support for donations, said Elizabeth Bellaver, who is helping AgTech with raising funds. As part of the challenge grant, AgTech has until May 1 to raise its $149,000.
So far AgTech has raised about $50,000 and Bellever said she’s confident the group will accomplish its task.
The combined $300,000 should be enough for a basic rehab project, although the group also must address “life-safety” issues to make it usable for a resource center. It also wants to create a maintenance endowment.
The goal is less than one several years ago when supporters hoped for a much more expansive renovation that would have cost more than $3 million.
To drum up more support, AgTech is hosting its seventh annual “BarnSavers Dinner” on Nov. 20 at Matsushita Electric Corporation of America. The company, located next to the barn, has owned the structure since moving there about 15 years ago.
For more information about the barn and the dinner, call (630) 377-6548. |