Doors to close at The Barn of Barrington

The Barn of Barrington announced today it will close before the start of the summer wedding season.

The 150-year-old Gothic barn at 1415 S. Barrington Road will close sometime during the next couple of months, said Brian Jason, who owns the business with a group of partners. The Barn has become an established venue for weddings over the years.

Jason said "maintenance issues" that need to be addressed are too costly for the business to take on.

"The maintenance costs are more than the business can handle," he added.

Jason, who has owned the business for four and a half years, refused to elaborate on what needs to be done to repair the barn, which was built as a dairy farm.

He stressed that the recession has nothing to do with the closing of the business, adding that weddings and parties were booked into 2010.

The business owners have been working with brides and grooms to find new locations for their weddings.

"We're working very hard on this. This is the most important day for a bride and groom," said Jason, of Crystal Lake.

He added that some of the wedding parties have switched to his business's other banquet facility, The Walleye Grill in Huntley.

The focus of the business has been banquets and Sunday brunch for the past two years when the business stopped operating as a traditional restaurant, Jason said.

The Geh Schurecht family owns the 150-year-old building and the land where the business operates.

Meanwhile, longtime customers have been expressing their sadness with the restaurant's closing.

"It's sad to see it go," Jason said.