Historic Barn Restoration

Client: Wayne County Parks

Location: Westland, Michigan

Architect Partner: Wayne County Parks and Recreation

Project Specifics: Built by Henry Ford in the 1920s, the barn was selectively demolished and reconstructed using reused, restored and remanufactured materials.

Challenges: The first challenge was to salvage and reuse existing materials, which accounted for only a portion of the barn. To complete the foundation, Shmina had to recast odd-shaped blocks to match the existing pieces. Matching the wood used for the barn required special “Standing Dead Douglas Fur,” which was shipped from Wyoming and milled into the nonstandard dimensional shapes of the existing lumber. Door hinges and the sliding door rails also required remanufacturing to original specifications. Shmina accomplished these tasks and more using internal tradespeople.

Cost: $400,000