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PRESS RELEASE EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY
Monday, March 16, 2015
(East Lansing Michigan)
Contact Jerry Damon Chair
Barn of the Year Committee
MBPN Board Member
[email protected]
(248) 345-4080
MICHIGAN BARN PRESERVATION NETWORK
Announces Awards for 2015 Barns of the Year
The Michigan Barn Preservation Network (MBPN) announced their 2015 Michigan Barns of the
Year Awards at the 20th Annual Conference and Meeting this year. “Keeping it Local”, the 2015
Annual Conference was held March 14 at Kellogg Center during Michigan State University’s
annual Agriculture and Natural Resources Week activities.
This is the 18th year the network has presented “Barn of the Year” awards. Including this year’s
awardees, a total of 61 barns from across Michigan have been recognized for their unique
qualities and/or preservation efforts.
The Barn of the Year program annually honors existing Michigan barns that exemplify
outstanding character in our state. Nominated barns must have been built before 1957 and be
in-use for one of four purposes. Barns must retain their overall appearance -- both interior and
exterior barn characteristics. Nominations are open to the public, reviewed and determined by
MBPN Awards Committee members and awarded to the barn owners at the MBPN annual
conference each spring during MSU’s ANR Week.
Five 2015 Barns of the Year were recognized.
Commercial Agricultural or Adaptive Use
Zingerman’s Cornman Barn, Dexter, Washtenaw County.
Owner: Zingerman’s
Continuing Family / Private Agricultural Use
Schumaker Barn, Fenton, MI, Tyrone Township, Livingston County
Owner: Carl and Kim Schumaker
Charles H. Katz Barn, Calhoun County, Fredonia Township, Marshall, MI.
Owner Scott Katz
Family / Private Adaptive Ag Use
Nussdorfer Barn, Ingham County, Mason MI.
Owner Jeff and Cindy Nussdorfer
Cherry Basket Farm (Main) Barn, Leelanau County, Leelanau Township, Omena, MI.
Owner Tom and Marsha Buehler
Please see photographs and details for each awardee in the following pages.
The Michigan Barn Preservation Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting
appreciation, preservation and rehabilitation of Michigan barns, farmsteads and rural communities.
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ZINGERMAN’S CORNMAN BARN Commercial Agricultural or adaptive Use Nomination submitted by Charles Bultman
Owner Zingerman’s
Located in Dexter, Washtenaw County
This a three bay 30 x 40 Midwestern barn which was saved and converted to the
centerpiece and gathering place for a working farm and venue space. Timbers in
the barn were dated as early as 1837 later timbers 1895. The barn was
disassembled and restored by an Ohio barn wright. A new foundation was built
and the two mated back together in 2014.
The logical story assembled during all the work on the farmhouse and barn is as
follows. The house was built first for a doctor who owned the land and the barn
was added three years later; the year Michigan became a state. Then almost sixty
years later, the next generation decided to fix up the barn and convert it to be one
of those new-fangled bank barns the Farmers’ Almanac have been touting
throughout the middle 1800’s, with a basement to house animals and store
manure.
Now in 2015 the barn is a venue for weddings or get gatherings of any kind. It is
heated and cooled with two levels of beautiful space and an elevator to get
between the two.
SCHUMAKER BARN
Continued Family/Private Agricultural Use
Nominated by Carl and Kim Schumaker
Owned by Carl and Kim Schumaker
Located in Fenton MI., Tyrone Township, Livingston County
A 1925 36’x126’ gambrel style barn setting on a poured cement foundation. It
has an access ramp to the hayloft area and a walkout lower level, which is all
above grade.
The Schumaker’s purchased the farm in 1990. The house and barn were in
very poor condition. The barn had missing roofing and siding, all the windows
were out and the doors were missing.
The first project was cleanup, followed by a new metal roof. Siding was
repaired and doors repaired and reinstalled. The 49 windows were rebuilt and
installed. The barn has been repainted twice during the Schumaker’s
ownership.
CHARLES H. KATZ BARN
Continued Family/Private Agricultural Use Nominated by Scott Katz
Owner Scott Katz
Located in Marshall, MI., Calhoun County
Built in 1921 as a 40’ x 80’ nine stall horse barn with a large tack room, drive
through scale house (in floor scale with beam scale), and full hayloft with
chutes to the stalls. The stalls are served by a track system to move manure
from inside to outside the barn using a galvanized cart riding the rail. The
foundation is poured concrete and the barn has a gambrel roof. The upper
story windows on both gables exhibit wood trim in the design of a sunburst
that is the signature of Charles H, Katz who built the barn. The barn also has
interesting diamond shaped windows for each stall and the original white
arches on the barn doors. The “Girl on the swing in the hayloft” was added by
Scott Hagan an artist from Ohio.
NUSSDORFER BARN
Family / Private Adaptive Use
Nominated by Jeff Nussdorfer
Owned by Jeff and Cindy Nussdorfer
Located Mason MI., Alaiedon Township
This 34’x56’ structure was a bank barn on the Woods family farm in Springport.
It had been used as a dairy barn with hay storage on the Woods farm. The
Nussdorfer family purchased the three bay timber frame structure with a gable
roof. It has pegged mortise and tenon joinery. It was constructed with a mixture
of hand hewn and sawn timbers ranging in a variety of sizes including 9”x 9”,
10”x 9” and 12”x 9”. It was a multi-level bank barn with the dairy cow area
beneath a hayloft. A 4-bin granary was at the opposite end of the barn which
was walled off with a set of rolling interior doors. The granary area also housed
a workbench area and there was additional hay storage above. The center of
the barn was open to the ceiling with doors on either side and had a scale built
into the floor.
The Nussdorfer family would re-purpose the barn for other uses; it was
converted to a single level structure with a poured concrete floor.
CHERRY BASKET FARM (MAIN) BARN
Family / Private Adaptive Ag Use
Application submitted by Tom and Marsha Buehler
Owners Tom and Marsha Buehler
Location Omena, Leelanau Township
This barn was built in two increments with the original (pre-1900) consisting of
about 700 sq. ft. footprint and the second, major structure being added
sometime later, circa 1910, consisting of about 2100 sq.ft. The structure is of
post and beam construction with the original roofline being a gable and the
newer, added, portion being gambrel with a cupola, raised ramp, board and
batten exterior, all of which sit on a two foot thick split fieldstone foundation.
Each portion has two floors. Within the upper level are a granary, a large
storage room and main hay barn. The newer portion of the barn includes two
haymows.
The upper barn floor was replaced/reinforced in the 1960’s. Tom and Marsha
are in the process of replacing the floorboards with native ash harvested from
nearby property. The cupola was restored to its original condition in 2013.