advertisement

Barrington project gets started with coffee, not cement

Village officials and developers intended to have the “first pour” ceremony for The Barrington Village Center, the long-awaited retail project at Hough and Main streets, but the dreary Tuesday morning weather forced organizers to make a major change.

Instead of the first pour of concrete, village officials and other VIPs poured a few cups of coffee, and with that, the second of the two major village-backed construction projects in downtown Barrington officially began.

“We took a bit of poetic license with that,” Village Manager Jeff Lawler said of the coffee.

Lawler said although no concrete has been poured yet, workers have made significant progress on the site. He said in the last couple of weeks that mountains of dirt have been moved to allow workers to install public utilities and prepare the area where the two buildings the plan calls for will be built.

“We're really excited to see it finally happening,” Mayor Karen Darch said.

The project involves the construction of two new one-story retail buildings and 132 public parking spaces. The buildings will total 25,000 square feet of restaurant and shopping space.

As part of an agreement between the village and developers, Arthur Hill and Co. and Envision Realty Advisors, Barrington businesses are allowed to move to the center only if they expand or were going to leave town without the new facility.

Darch said the developers will reveal their tenant list soon, but it was not announced Tuesday.

Down the block, the village-backed renovations to the Barrington White House were well underway.

The 116-year-old building at 145 W. Main St. is much changed from when work began in late July. It is surrounded by a field of mud and heavy construction equipment and, perhaps most noticeable, its roof has been completely removed.

Beth Raseman, the project coordinator for the village, said the old roof had been weakened over the years from fire damage and ill-advised additions. A new roof will be installed in November.

Raseman said crews have made great progress on the project. The old electrical equipment, plumbing and extra walls have come out, the sagging floor has been raised and work on a wheelchair-accessible entrance and elevator has gone well.

The White House renovations are going to be funded by private donations and grants. Raseman said organizers have raised $4.6 million and have $1.5 million to go. Those interested in donating to the project can find out more at barringtonswhitehouse.com.

Developers plan to open the Barrington Village Center for business in the spring.

Raseman said the White House will be open for the village's sesquicentennial celebrations on July 4, 2015.

  The Barrington White House is looking different at 145 W. Main St., because now it doesn't have a roof. Doug T. Graham/dgraham@dailyherald.com
  Mud and construction equipment surround the roofless Barrington White House. Doug T. Graham/dgraham@dailyherald.com
  The Barrington White House on Main Street is scheduled to reopen next July 4, for the village's sesquicentennial. Doug T. Graham/dgraham@dailyherald.com
  Barrington Mayor Karen Darch and other VIPs were forced to celebrate the "first pour" of a second village-backed downtown project with coffee instead of concrete, because of the rainy weather. Doug T. Graham/dgraham@dailyherald.com
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.