Barns, Windmills, Outhouses, Pump Houses, and Other Outbuildings

Technical Resources

Most Relevant National Park Service Preservation Briefs (available at no charge at http://www2.cr.nps.gov/tps/tax/rhb/stand.htm)

• #1: The Cleaning and Waterproof Coating of Masonry Buildings
• #2: Repointing Mortar Joints in Historic Masonry Buildings
• #4: Roofing for Historic Buildings
• #6: Dangers of Abrasive Cleaning to Historic Buildings
• #8: Aluminum and Vinyl Siding on Historic Buildings
• #9: The Repair of Historic Wooden Windows
• #10: Exterior Paint Problems on Historic Woodwork
• #14: New Exterior Additions to Historic Buildings
• #16: The Use of Substitute Materials on Historic Building Exteriors
• #17: Architectural Character: Identifying the Visual Aspects of Historic Buildings as an Aid to Preserving Their Character
• #19: The Repair and Replacement of Historic Wooden Shingle Roofs
• #20: The Preservation of Historic Barns
• #24: Heating, Ventilating, and Cooling Historic Buildings
• #31: Mothballing Historic Buildings
• #35: Understanding Old Buildings: The Process of Architectural Investigation
• #39: Holding the Line: Controlling Unwanted Moisture in Historic Buildings

Other information and services on a wide variety of preservation topics are available on the internet through the National Park Service’s Heritage Preservation Services at http://www2.cr.nps.gov/welcome.htm or by email at nps_hps-info@nps.gov.

Financial Resources

Financial assistance for barns and other outbuildings is easier to obtain if they are certified historic at the local or national level, or if owned by a not-for-profit, than for individual owners of non-landmark properties. Some potential funding sources for private owners include:

• National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grants
• Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in conjunction with the National Park Service (NPS) and IHPA Tax Credits for income producing buildings. 10% for buildings in service before 1936 and 20% for certified historic buildings

Properties in areas that attract or serve tourists can apply for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs’ (DCCA) Tourism Attraction Development Grant Program (TAP).

Other Resources

The Barn Again! Program works to preserve historic farm buildings. They offer some technical resources, but CANNOT give out grants to individuals. For financial assistance, they direct property owners toward the tax incentives offered through IHPA. Their website, http://www.barnagain.org, offers links to many barn-related services.

Residents of Kane County can receive technical information and financial awards for successful preservation projects through the That Darn Barn program by contacting Mark VanKerkoff in Kane County Development Department at (630) 232-3451.

Residents of McHenry County can contact the McHenry County Historical Barn Preservation Association, which hosts workshops and can provide other assistance. They are currently working on creating preservation funds. For more information, contact Ken Fiske at (815) 338-7664 or by email at Histbarns@aol.com.

Congress recently enacted legislation to create a historic barn preservation program, although there is currently no funding for it. The program may be in place as early as FY ‘04, depending on the availability of funds.

The University of Illinois at Springfield maintains the Nonprofit Resource Center, a database and librarians who can assist in finding grant money. They are accessible on the web at http://www.uis.edu/library/fdc.htm.

Some organizations and foundations offer financial assistance sporadically, as funds are available. It can be worthwhile to check the availability of relevant funds at a variety of corporations, organizations, and foundations.