NEW RICHMOND — Walking through their round barn, Bob and Kathy Frydenlund point out the holes in the roof and talk about their dream to restore the rural treasure to its original glory.
They bought the 40-acre farm that houses the 60-foot round barn — one of three left in St. Croix County — in April 1995, fulfilling a dream to move to the country from St. Paul.
They searched for the farm they wanted for 2½ years. After seeing 44 barns, Bob Frydenlund looked out the north ramp of the round barn at the landscape and knew it was a place where he dreamed of living. “The barn seems to be a part of us,” Bob Frydenlund, 57, said. “It seemed destined we become caretakers and guardians of it. We want to save it for generations to come.”
Kathy Frydenlund, 54, said she believes round barns are part of the state’s heritage. “It is like going back in architectural time,” she said.
John Olson, program coordinator for Barn Again!, said it is unknown how many round barns are left in the United States. Bob Frydenlund estimates about 150 left are in Wisconsin.
Barn Again! was started in 1987 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and “Successful Farming” magazine to help save historic barns.
Round barns were built primarily around 1920. The barns required fewer building materials and the round shape was more efficient, requiring farmers to walk fewer steps. Straight-line winds also tended to do less damage to round structures, Olson said.
“I think barns should be saved. They are our connection to how America was built,” Olson said. “Round barns are such a beautiful piece of architecture. They show how much work and pride the builders had in their buildings. The roof structures are the most impressive. It is a cathedral type experience.”
But becoming caretakers of the barn and trying to renovate it is an expensive task, the Frydenlunds said. When they bought the barn it was estimated to have four years of life left. They replaced 20 feet of foundation wall and patched the roof and siding. The Frydenlunds also had to have 20 tons of manure cleaned out of the barn.
The repairs so far have given the barn about 25 years of life, the Frydenlunds said.
They need to replace the roof to ensure the barn stays dry and extends its life. Cost of the repair is estimated at between $14,000 and $18,000.
“The last time it was roofed was in 1945,” Bob Frydenlund said. “The original cedar shakes are still underneath a 1945 asphalt shingle roof.
“This barn is just as strong as when it was built in 1914,” he added. “If we get it roofed, it could stand for another 100 years.”
Eventually they also would like to replace the doors on the barn and reinforce the floor. They use the lower part of the barn for their 20 llamas.
Total cost to restore the barn is estimated at $50,000 to $60,000.
To help pay for the repairs, the Frydenlunds finished two publications on round barns.
The most recent is a self-driving tour of round barns in western and northern Wisconsin. It lists driving instructions and includes a small picture of all the round barns in that area of the state. The tour starts at St. Paul. The publication costs $10.
In Dunn County there is one round barn near Ridgeland. Chippewa County is home to two round barns — one near Cornell and the other by Stanley.
The Frydenlunds have published a book on building round barns, entitled “The Original Round Barn Building Plan Book.”
The book reprints and copyrights a circular published by the University of Illinois in 1910 by Wilbur J. Fraser. Bob Frydenlund found the circular as part of another agriculture book on an Internet auction site. The Frydenlunds decided to republish it to save the information for future generations.
A later circular written in 1918 by Fraser became the basis of the Frydenlunds first book in 2000 — “How to Build and Love Your Own Round Barn.” Both books cost $14.95.
The Frydenlunds got the 1918 circular by researching archives and requesting it from the University of Illinois. Bob Frydenlund knew there was an earlier circular written by Fraser and searched the Internet regularly to try and find it.
They are working on a publication expected to be out in January called “Round Barn Memories By-Gone Years.” The publication, which will only be available on compact disc, will contain 100 to 200 photos with stories of barns no longer in existence.
Because they love the barn so much, if they are unable to come up with the funds, the Frydenlunds have considered donating the barn to a nonprofit group, who would be more eligible for grant money. For now though they are trying to find funds through the books and other fundraisers.
“The focus is on the barn,” Bob Frydenlund said.
Powers can be reached at (715) 235-9018 or pamela.powers@ecpc.com.
History: Two Norwegian carpenters built the barn about 1914 for an Irish dairy farmer, Nicholas Lundgren, who owned the farm from 1900 to 1921.
They worked for about 25 cents per hour, including labor, the barn cost less than $2,000 to build. Today, that price would exceed $250,000, Bob Frydenlund estimated.
The carpeners were paid 25 cents to 35 cents an hour for a minimum of eight hours work per day. They worked six days a week, plus room and board. They slept in the barn itself or one of the other outbuildings. Board was three meals per day.
The farmer provided the materials. The structure, which overlooks Dry Run Creek, features double layered, horizontal planing and two-hip roof. The roof is covered with diamond, interlocking shingles in a spiral design.
A barn this size could hold up to 5,000 bales of hay, 24 dairy cattle and some horses. A concrete silo with 16-inch cement walls runs through the center of the barn to a cupola at the top.
Twelve windows in the foundation provide sunlight to the interior.
