Barry Swenson Builder and Kelly Brothers House Movers began maneuvering the historic Hihn Apple Barn toward its new home in late September, one of several steps in the relocation of the barn.
The L-shaped building is 181 feet long and 100 feet wide, and has been divided into two sections. The division was made at the location where the first addition was made to the barn about 100 years ago.
So far, one section of the barn has been moved nearly 200 feet across the property and has been rotated 160 degrees. The move is being done on rollers, a laborious and slow process. When the first section of barn is in place, Kelly Brothers House Movers will begin work to move the second section.
The pad where the barn will be placed has been trenched for a foundation, and that work has been inspected and certified. The aim is to have both sections of the barn situated on the pad before the rainy season.
Relocating and rehabilitating the barn is a key element of the Aptos Village Project. Although the exact date the Hihn Apple Barn was constructed is not known, the barn is historically significant. Part of the building appears to have been constructed c.1891-1899, with substantial additions in 1915 and c.1920, with the last bay (88 feet long by 36 feet wide) c.1929-1930. The barn will become a New Leaf Community Market and open into the Village Green common area, a new civic heart for Aptos.
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Visit the Aptos Village Project website for updates: www.theaptosvillage.com.