Barn in a Deep Freeze

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The only thing nice about today in Michigan was the sunshine managed to make it out between the clouds of blowing snow.  Eva and I went over to the barn inside of the Highland Recreation Area at about 10:30 am and the temperature was nearly only 4 Degrees! Wind chills are well below zero - and the wind has been blowing over 30 miles per hour all day! This photo gives the viewer a good perspective of how large the barn really is...

Barn in a Deep Freeze

I took the photo looking to the North East down the hill. Click to see the full-sized picture. Is this picture "cool" or what? lol

Barn Preservation/Renovation Goes High Tech!

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I'm doing some experiments with PC software that can assist with interior and exterior design projects. Here's a start at re-creating the barn inside of a computer. Edsel Ford Barn PC 1

Edsel Ford Barn Open North End

A Look Inside

Interior Long Shot

Pretty slick. This new way of looking at things really opens up the creative possibilities for the renovation/restoration. The graphics are 100% "fly-by" tourable. You can fly around and through the building!

1000 Points of Light

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One look up to the ceiling inside of the barn and you can see how important it is to cover the roof. The tiny points of light are holes with daylight shining through. Roof Holes

Click on the picture and you can see the  image up close.  This last work party included more covering of the ever-important skin of the barn with heavy plastic/vinyl tarps.

January 13, 2008 Work Day

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The day was cloudy but the spirits of the volunteers were "sunny" to say the least. Brooms, shovels, waste cans, tools, and other supplies all seemed to emerge from nowhere as everyone arrived and began a full day of work. This old barn seems to be yearning for help. This last Sunday was my 1st day in the building, and I was excited and optimistic about the project despite the sorry state of affairs inside.

Water damage has affected most of the interior. I'm no barn renovation expert, but I think the good news is that the major support beams (the "bones") appear to be in fairly good condition.

Edsel Ford Barn Work Day 011308

Above: Edsel Ford Haven Hill barn renovation activity. January 13, 2008.

Below you can see an interior photo with what appears to be the old boarded-up animal doors on the right. I assume they were the sheep paddock openings that allowed the animals to move in and out. The bundles on the floor are some of the tarps being used for the roof repairs.

Barn Interior 011308

Thanks for reading... I'll post again with a picture each day or so...

Work Party Entry

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On January 13, 2008 we had a great group of volunteers come out to the Highland Recreation Area and work on the Edsel Ford Haven Hill barn. More large tarps were put on the roof to stop water and snow damage, and lots of interior cleanup was accomplished as well. It was my 1st time inside of the barn. Edsel Ford Barn Interior Photo

Believe it or not, the photo above is a picture of the SECOND FLOOR... the barn is huge! Click on the image to see a larger photo.

All of the volunteers had a great time and the weather cooperated (snow and rain were in the forecast but none fell). Keep in touch... a more extensive post will be coming soon...

1st Blog

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This blog (established 1/12/08) documents the efforts of the Friends of Highland Recreation Area to "rehabilitate and preserve the vast educational resources of Haven Hill" - the past estate of Edsel Ford on the grounds of the Highland Recreation Area in Michigan. Ford Barn 020606

Tomorrow my wife Eva and I will begin our "on-site" involvement with the restoration of the Edsel Ford barn. This massive structure is what drew us to the project in the 1st place. What a magnificent building!