St. James Farm saddles up for more improvements
St. James Farm feels like a world unto itself, a window into the rarified era of the gentlemen farmers who established their equestrian playgrounds across DuPage County.
A bronze sculpture of a champion racehorse, Chamossaire, in stride, stands at the welcome plaza to the property near Warrenville. In its heyday, steeplechase and dressage events were held at St. James Farm.
But beyond that luster, various mustard yellow barns and brick structures have been showing their age. So DuPage County forest preserve officials are preparing to tackle a list of improvements.
The estimated price tag for the project is $2.6 million, which includes consultant fees and construction costs. The estimate is pending the results of a preliminary structural assessment of the older structures and final scope decisions.
The forest preserve district acquired the grounds — some 600 acres — from philanthropist and former International Harvester businessman Brooks McCormick for $43 million in 2000. The conservation agency didn’t take possession of the land until after McCormick's death.
Since then, the district has been steadily upgrading the property, drawing weddings, history buffs, birders and those who have come to enjoy the art pieces, ponds and allées — grand, parallel rows of huge trees.
Chauncey McCormick and his son Brooks established St. James as a dairy farm and equestrian center, The Conservationist, the district’s quarterly magazine, recalled in 2019.
The district expanded and made the indoor horse riding arena — said to be inspired by Austria’s Spanish Riding School — open to the public. The roofing and cupola now require improvements to reduce water infiltration and handle condensation issues, said Jason Berger, the district’s facilities manager.
“There will be also some HVAC upgrades, including mechanically, to improve the indoor conditions, to reduce some of the nuisance noises from some of that equipment that has an impact on horses and occupants,” Berger said.
St. James Farm was once home to Guernsey cows. The dairy barn, Guernsey breeding barn, milk house and south bull barn are among the structures slated to undergo improvements to extend their life. The work is expected to include siding replacement, as well as door and window repair or replacement.
The district’s in-house tradesmen have replaced the siding on a few other structures. Berger pointed to a garage where buggies are displayed as an example.
“So that is the basis of the exterior finishes that we're going to transfer over into the dairy barn and all of the other yellow and white and black structures,” he said. “We’re intending to keep everything the same.”
The colonial-style red brick stables are also expected to see masonry repairs, selected mortar analysis and masonry assessment in addition to door and window repairs, according to a proposal by Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates.
The forest preserve board is set to vote Tuesday, Feb. 17, on a $354,000 contract with the firm to provide architectural and engineering services.
Other structures, including the cupola on the show stables, the Fiona monument — a bronze relief panel mounted to a stone — and the Deering monument wall, will also be analyzed and repaired as needed, Berger said.
The goal is to complete the assessment and design phases and be out to public bid for the work this summer.