Rochester Landmark is 2016 Michigan Barn of the Year

ROCHESTER, MI – A century-old Rochester area landmark has been named 2016 Michigan Barn of the Year by a statewide group racing against a clock to preserve the state’s historic agricultural structures before time takes them.

The bright yellow Meadow Brook North Barn, easily seen from Walton Boulevard on the northeast corner of the Oakland University campus, recently underwent a series of renovations that caught the attention of the Michigan Barn Preservation Network, according to a press release.

It was named the 2016 Barn of the Year in the non-profit agricultural or adaptive use category.

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Renovations in 2014 and 2015 straightened the barn’s posture and repurposed usable planks to rebuild and restructure the barn. A new foundation was put in place, along with new cedar roof shingles and new cupolas, which protrude from the barn’s roof, as well as a fresh coating of “Light Mellow” yellow paint.

“Research was done on the original look and paint color,” Stollsteimer said. “We engaged Geoffrey Upward, executive director of Meadow Brook, to investigate the history and background of the structure, and we took steps to ensure the structure would last another 100 years. It is very rewarding to know that the community supports that effort.”

Tammis Donaldson, who was part of the team of professionals that restored the barn, submitted the nomination to the MBPN awards committee.

Barns were judged based on seven criteria:

• Photogenicity — architectural character, condition of exterior, setting, quality of pictures
• Integrity — feeling, amount of historic fabric present, quality of changes made (excluding setting)
• Uniqueness — degree of distinction, if any
• Rehab: Heroic effort — scale of project, amount of work (framing, siding, roof, paint, utilities) regardless of results
• Rehab: Thoroughness — degree of completion, details (including setting)
• Rehab: Creativity — solutions to plan/design/construction problems
• Merit — awarded for something extra not accounted for in other categories

OU’s barn was rated highest in its category for all seven criteria.

“I was glad to play a part in preserving the barn,” said Donaldson, principal at Ekocite Architecture. “It’s rewarding on many levels — I’m an architect, I grew up in the Rochester area, and the barn is a landmark on campus . . . it was worth preserving.”

Donaldson attended the MBPN annual conference in May and accepted the Barn of the Year award on behalf of OU. The university received a plaque, as well as signage to display on the barn.