Wheeler-Magnus Round Barn, Arlington Heights Illinois

Date added: May 05, 2023

Categories:
Illinois
Barn
Round Barn

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Although no definitive date of construction, owner, or builder can be documented, it appears that the round barn could have been constructed circa 1910 for Mr. Elbert Bartlett Wheeler, a local farmer, civil engineer, and surveyor and county correspondent for the United States Department of Agriculture.

Elbert Bartlett Wheeler (E. Wheeler) was one of eleven children born to Ephriam Bartlett Wheeler (E. B. Wheeler) and Emily Claugh on September 24, 1941, at the Wheeler farm in Elk Grove Village Township (just south of present day Arlington Heights). In 1841, land plats show that the land which is presently occupied by the barn was owned by his father, E. B. Wheeler. At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, E. Wheeler volunteered for the armed services, but was rejected for reasons of frailty. At that time he entered Northwestern University and graduated four years later in 1865. While at the university, he valued education highly and was an active member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, then designated as a volunteer society of educated men. He volunteered once again for the armed services upon graduation and was accepted into the 132^nd Illinois Infantry. In 1870, he was discharged from the armed services and continued his interest in education by pursuing a brief career as a teacher. At this time the site of the barn was still owned by his father, E. B. Wheeler.

E. Wheeler married Nancy Skinner in 1873. They had three children together. Land -plates indicate that the ownership of the site of the barn was held by J. T. Wheeler, E. Wheeler's younger brother, in 1875. E. Wheeler's first wife died in 1882, the same year his father sold his other land holdings in Elk Grove Township and moved to Arlington Heights.

Land plats show that the site of the barn was owned by E. Wheeler by 1864. In that same year he was married to Louise Fredericks, with whom he later had four children. The federal census taken in 1910 reveals his occupation as a farmer, civil engineer, and surveyor. His brother, J. T. Wheeler, who had lived with E. Wheeler and his family since before 1900, stated his occupation as farm laborer and home farmer in the same census. E. Wheeler maintained ownership of the land which is presently occupied by the barn until his death in 1916.

Sometime after E. Wheeler's death in 1916, the farm was sold by the Wheeler family to Dr. A.B. Magnus. Dr. Magnus was a practicing psychiatrist in Chicago. It is not known how many of the original farm buildings were standing at this time, but all existing buildings were remodeled and the farm was converted to a sanatorium for the treatment and care of the mentally ill. When Dr. Magnus joined the armed services in 1942, Mrs. M. C. Magnus continued to make improvements and alterations to the facility and converted it ta a nursing home. By 1942, after the construction of the two-story brick building which now stands to the west of the barn, the facility had reached a total size of over one hundred beds.

After 1962, operation of the farm was passed to Mr. A. B. Magnus, Jr., eldest of the Magnus' three sons. Mr. Magnus, Jr. continued to operate the nursing home and to make additions, improvements, and alterations to the facility. During this period, the barn continued ta be used for its original purpose. Milk, cream, and butter from the dairy cows, along with eggs, stewing chickens, and vegetables from the garden were provided for the residents of the nursing home. Surveys completed in 1975 and 1987 show that the round barn had two separate long-frame shed structures attached, one to the north and one to the east. These surveys also show that two multi-story brick and frame residences were located just to the southwest of the barn.

The farm was sold by the Magnus family to the Lutheran General Health Care System in 1984. Construction on the residential buildings began shortly thereafter. In 1989, the two frame shed structures attached to the barn, along with the two residential structures located just to the southwest of the barn, were removed to facilitate the development of the property. Yet, since the purchase of the site by the Lutheran General Health Care System, the barn itself has been maintained and unaltered, and is presently used for storage. The barn is the only remaining building from the original farm. It is the intent of the owner to restore or rehabilitate the barn for use by the residents or the owner, and as a continued architectural focus for the entire development.

The approximate date of 1910 for the construction of the barn was arrived at by analyzing the available land plats and comparing them to the available biographical information on the persons who maintained ownership of the land over these years. The earliest available plat which indicates a structure on the property is dated 1875. But the construction materials and methods used in the barn indicate that it is not that old. The last available land plat from that era is dated 1910, the same year that the census was taken identifying E. Wheeler as a farmer, civil engineer, and surveyor. This plat indicates that the structure which first appeared on the 1875 plat is still in the same location, with no additional structures or alterations to the site. It is most likely that the barn was constructed sometime shortly after the land plat of 1910.

Barn Description

The Wheeler-Magnus Round Barn is located on the grounds of The Moorings of Arlington Heights, a retirement community northwest of Chicago, Illinois. The barn was constructed circa 1910 as the primary working barn of a forty acre farming facility. The barn is approximately 50 feet in diameter and 46 feet in height, incorporating a floating purlin system of construction which provides a clear span, unobstructed loft.

Once surrounded by acres of farmland, the building now serves as the architectural focal point of a series of new residential and support structures which comprise the retirement community. The new structures range in size from a five-story brick multi-unit building on the south side of the barn, to a two-story brick health center on the west side, to a series of one-story brick-and-frame residential buildings on the north side. A landscaped parking area is located on the east side of the barn.

Buildings in the community are well sited, with curving drives, generously landscaped and wooded areas, and two man-made ponds reflecting the once rural character of the site. The barn itself is located near the center of the complex along the main drive from the gatehouse an East Central Road to the main residential building. The area immediately surrounding the barn is pleasantly landscaped with ground plantings, shrubbery, and mature trees placed in a naturalistic manner.

Unfortunately, no definite information on the appearance of the site at the time of the construction of the barn is available. However, an early undated photograph reveals that the area immediately surrounding the barn was planted with various farm crops, and that & few trees and shrubs were located close to the perimeter of the barn.

The Wheeler-Magnus Round Barn is approximately 50 feet in diameter and 46 feet in height, measured from the finished floor level in the interior to the top of the cupola. The barn is a two-story structure that rests on a foundation of poured concrete. The structure is covered with wood drop siding, and the roof is covered with older wood shingles. The barn has a single hip roof with a conical roof cupola.

The lower portion of the barn is well-lit and ventilated by a series of wood double-hung and casement windows. Some of the original casement windows have been replaced with newer casement windows. The barn is accessible through both a single and a double-hinged service door, as well as a large barn door opening with a non-original wood overhead garage door. The upper portion of the barn has only a few casement windows, yet it is ventilated and partially lit By a series of wood-louvered openings in the cupola walls.

Immediately adjacent to the barn is a small, unattached frame silo. This silo was constructed in 1939 after the original silo was destroyed during a windstorm. The existing silo is constructed of vertical wood struts held in place by horizontal metal rods and supports. The silo rests upon and is anchored to a poured concrete base. It is covered by a small, conical roof of wood shingles. The silo is in poor condition. The concrete foundation is cracked, and the frame structure is leaning to one side.

Two long one-story gabled shed structures were removed from the north and east sides of the barn in 1989. These shed structures do not appear to have ever opened directly into the barn. The concrete foundation remains continuous in the areas of connection to the shed, and no siding required patching or replacement when they were removed. It appears that the sheds were not the original features of the barn.

The poured concrete floor is formed to create areas for a walk, drop, platform, manger, and feed alley. The walk was used to lead the cattle to the platform, where they stood during feeding. The drop is a narrow depressed area in the concrete floor used to catch manure during feeding. The manger is a narrow depressed area in the concrete floor slanted to accommodate the feed. And the feed alley was used to bring the feed in from the haydrop, which is located just inside the large barn door. A poured concrete water trough is also located next to the cattle area.

The construction of the floor also reveals that one-third of the barn was used for dairy cattle, and one-third was used for stabling horses. The rest of the barn was used for storage or support purposes. All areas are partially separated by frame bead-board partitions. The portion of the barn used for stabling horses has wood planks set into the concrete to provide the needed cushioning material. This is an unusual and innovative solution to the stabling of horses on a concrete floor.

The interior of the barn does not incorporate a center silo. The walls, loft floor, and roof are constructed of wood framing. The roof is self-supporting through use of the floating purlin system of construction. This floating purlin system uses additional wood bracing for lateral support at the base of the cupola and at the pitch break in the hip roof. A series of six stationary pulleys and a single circular track pulley are suspended from the roof structure in the loft. These pulleys were used ta move and stack the hay.

The completely unobstructed loft is supported by floor joists that radiate from a single log column placed at the center of the concrete foundation. The 2 x 12 floor joists are supported at midspan by a built-up circular wood beam supported by a series of lag columns arranged around the central wood column. A smaller built-up circular wood beam, which is not structural, is located nearer to the center lag column. Throughout the years, additional wood posts and steel column jacks have been installed to support the original structure where required.