Fairgrounds' famous Barn may be moved

The privately owned barn that sits across from the East 38th Street entrance to the Indiana State Fairgrounds would be deeded to the fair commission and moved to the north side of the fairgrounds under a plan that might be approved this spring.

The move could increase the public's access to The Barn, especially during the State Fair, said Gary Emsweller, chairman of the nonprofit educational group that owns the historic structure.

A big question is who would foot the estimated $550,000 in moving expenses, he said.

The Barn at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, 1202 E. 38th St., is governed by a Board of Trustees and the Indiana State Fair Commission and also works toward the mission of bridging members of the agricultural community to the consumer public through education, its website says.

Built in 1936 by former Indianapolis industrialist Herman Krannert on his farm, it sat on the last undeveloped parcel of the Normandy Farms housing subdivision in Pike Township.

Unused for years, it was relocated to the fairgrounds in 1998 because it reflected Indiana's heritage.

The arched-roof dairy barn, one expert told the Star a decade ago, "looks like romanticists think a barn should look."

Source: Indianapolis Star Online (03-22-07)