GILROY—A community group that rallied to halt the demolition of an old barn inside Christmas Hill Park has asked the city’s permission to enter the boarded-up structure to shore it up and prevent any further weather or animal-related damage.
Despite submitting the request to city officials more than a month ago, advocates for the barn—estimated to be 120 years old—have not yet received an answer.
The group, called the Save the Red Barn Committee, says it’s simply following the advice of an engineer who over a decade ago recommended “modest” repairs in order to preserve the building.
“We want to clean it out, get rid of all the debris, and secure the building so rodents and feral cats can’t get in,” said committee member Gary Walton.
The structure’s corrugated metal roofing has deteriorated from exposure to the elements and allowed animals—from bats to cats and more—to inhabit the building.
In 2014, the city sought to demolish the barn at taxpayers’ expense, but held off in the face of public outcry, during which local historians asked city officials to reconsider its plan. Since then, the Red Barn Committee has been raising funds to protect it and formulating a plan to re-purpose it.
The council gave the committee a three-year stay on demolition, and Gilroy Mayor Don Gage says there are no plans to demolish the building at this time.
“We’re not going to take it down and it’s not hurting anyone,” Gage said. “They (the committee) deserve a chance to do what they want to do. They deserve a fair shot.”
According to the barn’s advocates, more concerning than the animals is the threat of the building caving in on itself.
“When the wind blows, it’s putting pressure inside the barn on that back wall. You’ve got a bigger chance of the building falling down because of that wind—and that was from the engineer,” Walton said.
“It starts acting like a sail,” committee member Maureen Hunter said.
But in order to heed a recommendation from an engineer the group commissioned to analyze the structure, and fixing the roof was No. 1 suggestion, they need to gain access prior to the rainy season, committee member Richard Pernio said.
“We can’t even get the city to agree to let us do that, but I’m always hopeful,” Walton added.
The committee’s primary goal remains preventing the Red Barn’s destruction—by the city, or as a consequence of decades of neglect. In the 1990s, the barn was fenced off and gaps in the roof expanded, widening over time.
Looking “way out” in the future, Gage said the city would like to see the space the barn occupies used for outdoor activities, but wants the committee to have enough time to raise funds for an alternative.
“There was no sense in taking it down just to take it down,” he added.
The committee envisions a new purpose for the structure, to transform it from a long-forgotten relic into a shining example of what a community center can bring to the city. Whether it becomes a multipurpose events center, an environmental center or community garden, remains to be seen but the group’s No. 1 goal, they said, is to protect and preserve the barn.
Historians estimate the Red Barn was erected at least 120 years ago on land belonging to cattle baron Henry Miller. By 1916, Miller owned more than 3.5 million acres in the Western states but controlled much more, according to committee members.
Despite the city’s lack of response about whether the committee can enter the structure, Walton said he remains optimistic.
“If I was a pessimist, I would have left a long time ago.”
As a downtown advocate, Walton envisions tying the Red Barn’s history to Gilroy’s agricultural heritage in a way that will educate youth and serve as new destination in the Garlic City.
“I’m still hopeful we can change something,” he said.
