Goodrich-Ramus Barn

The Goodrich-Ramus Barn is a historic Gothic-arch barn in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. It is considered eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places on the basis of its historical and architectural significance.^[1]

Construction

The barn was built in 1942 from materials made by Rilco (Rock Island Lumber Company), a subsidiary of

laminated timber rafters.^[1] The glued laminated timber rafters had been developed in Europe and introduced to the United States in 1934. The United States Department of Agriculture issued a technical bulletin in 1939 on the use of these rafters, and Rilco was founded in Saint Paul, Minnesota that same year. Rilco's marketing literature at the time promoted the rafters as being "factory-fabricated and engineered", and the rafters were shipped predrilled and ready for assembly with all hardware included.^[2]

Masonry work, such as the foundation brick and the clay tile used in the silo, was provided by the Johnston Brothers Clay Works in Fort Dodge, Iowa.^[1]

This barn plan was promoted by the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station. The clay tile used for the

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Reuse

The barn is located just north of

Hennepin County Road 1. Hennepin County had been proposing to widen Pioneer Trail, and they had been considering demolishing the barn to make way for a stormwater retention basin. The city of Eden Prairie conducted a study to determine if the barn was historic. They determined that the barn has historic value. As a result, the city is now looking for an adaptive reuse proposal.^[1]

Robert Vogel of Pathfinder CRM, the company doing the reuse study, said, "All barns are special now, there’s so few of them." John Gertz, preservation planner for the city of Eden Prairie, said, “This particular building is an excellent example of the agricultural buildings that Rilco produced. There’s very little wear on this building. ... It doesn’t look like it was used for very long as a dairy barn.”[1]

Steven Schussler, creator of the Rainforest Cafe restaurants, saw an article about the pending demise of the barn and decided to restore it. The barn became Green Acres Event Center in 2013, used for weddings, corporate events, charity events, and others. Schussler won the 2016 Heritage Preservation Award from the city of Eden Prairie for his restoration of the barn.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Wennerstrom, Karla (June 26, 2008). "Pioneer Trail barn could be preserved". Eden Prairie News. Retrieved Apr 1, 2018.
^ "Minnesota Historic Farms Survey: Planning and Building Farm Structures" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. p. 40. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-19.
^ Interview with Robert Vogel, managing partner of Pathfinder CRM, the company doing the reuse study
^ "Green Acres Event Center: Our Story". Retrieved 2022-05-26.

External links

Goodrich-Ramus Gothic Barn, description of modern rehabilitation at architects Meyer, Borgman, Johnson
Green Acres Event Center

44°49′53″N 93°27′20″W / 44.83139°N 93.45556°W / 44.83139; -93.45556

[epnews-1] Wennerstrom, Karla (June 26, 2008). "Pioneer Trail barn could be preserved". Eden Prairie News. Retrieved Apr 1, 2018.

[2] "Minnesota Historic Farms Survey: Planning and Building Farm Structures" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. p. 40. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-19.

[interview-3] Interview with Robert Vogel, managing partner of Pathfinder CRM, the company doing the reuse study

[4] "Green Acres Event Center: Our Story". Retrieved 2022-05-26.

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