What to do with historic barn in Crystal Lake? Park district still trying to figure it out

The Crystal Lake Park District has started planning to preserve a 140-year-old historic barn after talks of demolition were on the table.

[ pushback from the Crystal Lake Historic Preservation Commission ]

The Barlina barn at 705 Barlina Road was set to be demolished by the Crystal Lake Park District in 2023 in order to renovate Hill Farm Park. But after pushback from the Crystal Lake Historic Preservation Commission, the park district started to look into ways to save the barn and keep the structure intact. With $85,000 allocated in the budget for repairs, the board still is debating what future use of the structure could look like.

The park district hired architectural firm McGuire Igleski & Associates Inc. to assess the structure and amass historic documentation last year. The firm, which specializes in historic preservation, found the historic structures of the barn to be structurally sound but estimated repairs to cost about $242,000.

For next steps, the park district will look into price estimates for the most urgent repairs of the roof and siding, along with removal of the nonhistoric elements that are in disrepair, Executive Director Jason Herbster said.

The use of the barn in the future – whether for public use or to simply keep it standing – still is undecided. Some park board members were hesitant to move forward with repairs before knowing what the exact future use will be.

“I think it’s a simple decision of public use [or] not public use,” board President Sarah Michehl said. “That’s going to drive the extent of work that’s being done.”

Other park board members pushed to do necessary repairs now to keep the barn from falling apart and to circle back on its use later. Options were discussed, including using the barn as a local historical asset similar to the Colonel Palmer House, but nothing was voted on during last week’s board meeting.

“Not many people have something like this,” Commissioner Eric Anderson said. “This is really cool. We’re appreciating our history.”

The historic commission can help with figuring out the structure’s future purpose, but the decision is ultimately up to the park district, Crystal Lake Historical Preservation Commission member Brittany Niequist said at the board meeting.

“It’s not an either or,” she said. “What you’re looking at for your initial cost to tear down the lean-tos, do the roof and shore up the foundation has to happen whether you just keep it as a historical marker or you let the public use it.”

Park board members earlier this month discussed how much to budget for the barn’s repairs for this fiscal year. Amounts as high as $600,000 were discussed before the board agreed to budget $85,000 for consulting work, according to park district documents.

Crystal Lake resident Jim Heisler said he can try fundraising from private sources, so the park district would not have to bear all of the repair costs. The historic commission also can connect the park district with the nonprofit Landmarks Illinois to apply for grants, Niequist said.

“Yes, it is our property, but, yes, we are going to need support on this,” Michehl said.