Village Ensures Local Landmark Will Stand for Generations to Come

Erod Vollmar was likely the last person to perform any renovation work at the 160-year-old barn at , and that was in 1900.

Who Vollmar was, and what work he did in the barn isn’t clear, but his name is permanently etched on a concrete wall in the basement of the barn marking the completion of a project from long ago.

Today, the village is close to completing a renovation project inside the historical building, which has stood on its location since 1850. Once complete, it’s hoped the building will stand for another 100 years.

The barn is one of two original buildings at Old Falls Village, and was first opened to the public in 1971.

In November, the Village Board allotted $190,000 to WM Sackerson Construction for the project. The village also received a $42,000 Community Development Block Grant through Waukesha County to offset some of the costs.

The project was necessary because the barn was definitely showing signs of its age. Insects had eaten through wooden supports and the entire structure itself was slowly shifting and wouldn't stand on its own without some attention.

Architect Rich Blum, of The Architectural Workshop in Germantown, said the only level spot in the entire barn was a three-foot section of floor in the hallway to the loft. The rest of the building had shifted and settled over time, which made measuring and planning the project a unique challenge.

Rather than attempt to shift the entire building back into shape, Blum said construction crews carefully chose important spots on the barn to reinforce the barn and replace support structures.

“We’ve gotten to a point where it is structurally sound and it should last for a number of years now,” Blum said.

In addition to stabilizing the building, Director of Public Works Arlyn Johnson said they added an improved artifact display in the barn. The artifacts preserved by Historical Society were moved to portable pods outside the barn, and they new displays will improve the experience for visitors at the outdoor museum on Pilgrim Road and Highway Q.

“We wanted to improve the displays in the barn and the lighting. We tried to group the collection into a certain theme to give it continuity, and to get additional people out here to recognize what we have on the Old Falls Village site,” Johnson said.

They also updated windows, light fixtures, replaced the floor in the basement, and added steel supports to reinforce the structure. However, the original hand-cut logs that comprise the base of the barn are still in tact.

Now, rather than serving as a storage area, the barn will feature organized displays and an activity area for children. The reorganized barn is also much safer and user friendly.

“It’s our responsibility, to the best extent possible, to keep the buildings that we have maintained as well as we can for future generations to enjoy,” Johnson said.

Johnson said village plans to have the project completed by the end of April or May. The improved barn will be the location for the first event at Old Falls Village of the season, which is the “In Touch With History Day” event June 1.

The barn wasn’t the only local landmark in Menomonee Falls to get a facelift this over the past year. The village recently completed a $200,000 restoration of the limekilns in . Workers completed tuck pointing of the structures, and new decorative fences will also be installed.