The iconic yet long-neglected fixture lodged within Christmas Hill Park, one that has been boarded-up and fenced off since the 1990s, will stand for another year after City Council voted unanimously to call off the bulldozers.
Five community members spoke out in favor Monday night of keeping the century-old “Red Barn,” as locals know it, and City Council tasked the structure’s supporters with raising funds to restore the weathered edifice.
City Council unanimously approved a demolition window in November for the old building because of structural deficiencies and the large number of nesting bats and birds that occupy it. But Councilman Perry Woodward made a motion Dec. 2 to call off those demolition plans.
He argued that community members never had a chance to speak out before Council, which previously decided Nov. 18 to tear it down.
“When I asked to bring this (agenda item) back, my thinking was it was more of an open government issue because we did not give clear notice to the community we were going to tear it down,” Woodward said.
The City’s Historic Heritage Committee first recommended demolition in 2006 due to the “very poor” physical shape of the barn, determining it was unsafe to occupy and unhealthy for humans. But as former HHC member Katherine McBride pointed out Monday, the committee was not privy to a report recommending repairs instead of demolition prior to their vote.
“The HHC was not provided with a 2004 report stating that the roof and dry rot could be repaired and that it could be used for storage,” McBride said. “We were advised it was dangerous and told not to enter without hard hats. I saw no evidence of it being dangerous and it seemed fine to me. I voted for (demolition), reluctantly, and I felt pressured.”
According to Mayor Don Gage, Gilroy presently doesn’t have use for a barn and the Garlic Festival turned down an opportunity to use the facility for storage. He said the building’s potential historic significance has been researched and it has “no historic value.”
But President Connie Rogers of the Gilroy Historical Society posits that cattle baron Henry Miller built the structure more than 100 years ago.
During Monday’s meeting, supporters of the barn also spoke of the building’s value to Gilroyans young and old.
“It is an icon in the community,” argued Mary Yates. “This barn reminds us of our agricultural heritage – one which is still ongoing today. We need to somehow preserve that so we can show our children that beef and lettuce doesn’t come from a cellophane package in the grocery store.”
Woodward agreed with supporters about the significance of the barn, but sided with Gage that raising the necessary funds and developing a plan would be a challenge.
“It’s a nice part of our history to have the Miller Barn there in our park,” he said. “I think it’s a long shot; it will be very expensive and it’s going to take real effort. If we come back here in a year with no money and no plan, it’s going to be time for the property to come down.”
