Living history: Hawthorn Woods village barn a symbol of being ‘rural, by design’

The need for lap blankets in winter and the remnant scent of dairy cows on humid summer days are a few of the quirks of working in an old barn.

Mice love the building and so do squirrels. Woodpeckers, too, whose frequent knock, knock on the siding had become background noise.

But as the home of administrative offices, police department, meeting space and community event center, the 1880s-era dairy barn pictured on Hawthorn Woods’ village logo is the embodiment of its “Rural by Design” philosophy and purpose.

“There are inconveniences but we feel privileged to keep it alive,” said Pam Newton, the village’s chief operating officer.

“Everything we do focuses on that symbol of our barn,” she added. “It’s history and the residents love it.”

Certainly, there have been modern improvements and changes since the then-fledging village bought the barn on Old McHenry Road and Lagoon Drive for $35,000 in 1967.

But the soaring expanse of the original structure has been kept largely intact and nurtured as an example of environmental stewardship.

And if that meant dealing with critters, so be it.

“We’ve experienced wildlife but that’s OK,” says Kim Stewart, the village’s sustainability and grants coordinator. “We’re an environmental community — all are welcome.”

But even nature lovers have limits. Old exterior siding was deteriorating and warping, leaving many holes and ample avenues for furry visitors, who sometimes died in the walls. An initial attempt to address the issues didn’t work so the village went to Plan B.

That project, which wrapped up two weeks ago, included replacing cedar siding on the north and west sides of the barn with an engineered product designed to look like the original and last much longer.

“It was something we had to do,” Newton said. “We did the west side to see if it would accomplish our goals and it’s working.” The remaining sided wall and related work is planned as a second phase in December.

Hawthorn Woods' village hall barn was built in 1898 for M.E. Davis, who owned 243 acres, according to Phil Gardner of the Ela Historical Society.

The property was sold by 1936 and resold. According to a village history, Matt and Germaine Larson bought the Forest Farm in 1945 and broke ground for a road system in 1953 for homes to be built nearby.

Facing a mammoth home and apartment proposal that would have added tens of thousands of residents to the area, Hawthorn Woods incorporated March 10, 1958, to control its own destiny and maintain a country atmosphere.

The Illinois Supreme Court in 1960 struck down an appeal upholding zoning ordinances in Long Grove, Kildeer, Deer Park and Hawthorn Woods ending that “blueprint for the future” development plan.

“I just love what it represents, the history of our village,” Mayor Dominick DiMaggio said of the village barn. “We definitely want to preserve it.”

Lighting and cameras are discreet. There are no electronic signs and agendas are posted old-school style in a case near the entrance.

Bits of the area’s agricultural past, such as a bench of barnwood with wagon wheels as armrests, a seed sorter that still works, a hand plow and more, have been donated and displayed in the village office area.

“Our barn is like a living museum that we share with the community so we don’t forget where we came from,” Newton said.

The barn, she added, is one of the oldest around incorporating a Roman truss bracing system.

An attached brick structure, thought to have been housing for farmhands, was converted to village offices. The police department is housed on the lower level.

“We’re really thankful we have the legacy of this barn under our care,” she said. “We feel honored to work in this barn.”

The original village seal, unveiled after a contest in 1976, depicted a hawthorn tree, a couple with their child and home. More than 30 years later, former Mayor Joe Mancino pushed for a redesign.

While driving far from home as a teenager, Mancino said he came upon the village barn and saw residents arriving with potluck items for an event.

“The atmosphere was so upbeat and friendly and the overall vibe bucolic. I instantly fell in love and thought, ‘Someday, I’m going to live here,’” he said.

Years later, he did and was elected mayor in 2009. From board meetings to birthday parties, weddings, controversial town hall meetings and New Year’s Eve parties, the barn, he said, has been an important gathering place and center of the community since the village was incorporated.

“I wanted people to know that we were rural, by design,” said Mancino, who moved to Chicago a few years ago. “And nothing illustrated that better than our beloved barn.”