Will County Forest Preserve District officials have ruled out purchasing a historic Manhattan Township barn, saying the structure does not fit current acquisition plans and would be too costly to refurbish as a public building.
On a 19-4 vote, the district’s board overruled its Land Acquisition Committee, which had favored continuing negotiations for the land and building.
Opponents said the purchase of the 92-acre farm that includes the 102-year-old barn would siphon funds needed to buy important natural lands and is inconsistent with the goals of a forest preserve district.
Owner Frank Koren, who wanted $3 million for the property, had said he was willing to negotiate. Koren bought the barn near Baker Road and U.S. Highway 52 about 40 years ago.
“What makes this so unique?” wondered County Board member James Moustis (R-Frankfort). “It hasn’t been included in the past as a parcel . . . we want to acquire.”
County Board member Richard Budde (D-Joliet) agreed, saying a citizens advisory committee has opposed the purchase because it could mean sacrificing the purchase of natural lands that have long been slated for preservation.
“I don’t think historic preservation is a function of a Forest Preserve District,” he said.
County Board member Ann Dralle (R-Lemont) disagreed.
“It’s a historic barn that should be preserved,” she said. “Even if we just took over 5 acres or so we might have been able to preserve it. I think we should have continued to negotiate.”
The biggest hurdle was an engineering report that showed up to $690,000 would be needed to refurbish the barn and other structures so they would meet the standards of public buildings.
At the same time, continuing the operation of a petting zoo, museum and pumpkin farm at the site would likely bring in only about $6,000 a year, the report said.
Koren, who could not be reached for comment, has challenged the figures.
The Koren barn, one of at least four round barns in Will County, has a shape and size that preservationists say sets it apart from others built in Illinois during the 1800s.
A 20-sided polygon measuring 100 feet across and 60 feet tall, the white frame building was constructed in 1898 from lumber purchased at the World’s Columbian Exposition five years earlier in Chicago and shipped to Manhattan.
It was built by John C. Baker, whose father, Clarke, settled on 1,000 acres and became Manhattan Township’s justice of the peace.
The barn has four levels, the first for animals and the second and fourth for hay storage. The third was designed to store grain.
The county has granted landmark status for the structure, and officials say they would like to see the barn preserved by private owners.
Koren converted the barn into a working museum in 1986 and began charging admission to the building and surrounding grounds, where displays have been set up to depict farm life in the last century.
