The red barn is synonymous with the rural Wisconsin landscape. But as time goes by, fewer of these majestic structures remain. They no longer fit the agricultural methods of the day, and costs to repair outweigh utility. We stand by as they age, crumble, and fall. It’s unfortunate, but there’s little choice. A fact brought home to NEWLT recently when we faced mounting safety concerns around the deteriorating barn at Harness Farm.

We are conservationists. Our inclination is to grab hold, rescue, restore. But not all things can be saved. At least not on the budget of a small land trust.

Knowing the barn would have to go, we reached out to anyone with the slimmest interest in salvaging the parts for reuse. Surely, weathered wood is on-trend, and the boards could become something artful or even just plain useful. But we were turned down, repeatedly. Thanks to asbestos used in constructions not even the fire department could use the structure to teach fire suppression techniques.

The inevitable conclusion: the old barn would have to go.

Resigned, we reached out to an excavation company. With thanks to the David E. and Rita L. Nelson Fund a donor advised fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region and the generosity of the Hamilton Family Foundation the barn was safely removed this spring. It’s our first foray into demolition and it gave us pause. We’ve lost a bit of history. The site will never be the same.

But much like a fallen tree in the forest leaves an opening for new species to sprout, the space left where the barn used to be will transition to something new. We don’t know what yet, but there’s excitement at NEWLT over the possibilities.