Barn renovations to begin by summer
Historic building will be used to host parties, wedding receptions
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

MICHELLE KNIGHT/Acorn Newspapers SPRUCING UP THE PLACE- City officials said construction will begin this summer on the $850,000 remodel of the 103-year-old barn at the Adolfo Camarillo Ranch House. The upgrades are being made so the Camarillo Ranch Foundation will be able to rent the barn for events and generate revenue for the nonprofit that maintains the historic property.

Plans are underway to transform the 103-year-old barn at the Adolfo Camarillo Ranch House into a yearround event center.

Assistant City Manager Bruce Feng said the $850,000 remodel of the historic barn, including construction of a warming kitchen, a storage area and new restroom facilities, is expected to begin this summer and be completed by spring 2009.

"The barn will be another natural amenity that is compatible with the Camarillo Ranch House historic theme," Feng said.

Ted Rains, president of the nonprofit Camarillo Ranch Foundation which runs the ranch, said renovation will benefit the city because, when finished, the barn can be rented out year-round, "a significant plus" in generating income for the city during inclement weather.

"That enhances the reputation of the city- to have an event center," Rains said.

About 200 volunteers run the ranch, including docents, Master Gardeners and the board of directors. To help support itself, the ranch hosts several annual fundraising events, such as the Candlelight Gala and Oktoberfest. This year, for the first time, the foundation is offering a calendar.

According to a February foundation report, the ranch is expected to generate $400,000 this year. That's not enough to support it, so the city contributes about $60,000 a year. City officials want to provide backing for a historic venue the community can be proud of, Feng said.

The Camarillo Ranch- composed of two gardens, a large grassy lawn and the Victorian building the Camarillo family once called home- also serves a cultural role. On docent-led tours, third- and fourth-grade students learn how people in the early 1900s lived. During Chat Nights, which usually run from May through October, the public can interact with people who have a historic connection to the ranch. And the county's Master Gardeners, who redesigned and installed an irrigation system on ranch grounds last year, plan to publish a brochure featuring the ranch's historic plants and trees.

In the report last month, foundation officials said the ranch is being rented out almost every weekend this year. Last year the ranch was the site for 84 events, 27of them for weddings.

Jamie Wozniak, 22, and her friend Amanda Lopez, 26, came from Winnetka last week to inspect the ranch as a possible venue for Wozniak's upcoming wedding. The women said traveling some 30 miles from the San Fernando Valley to have the wedding here would be worth it because the ranch is "beautiful."