The Barn, University of California, Riverside – Riverside, CA

At the heart of The Barn Expansion project is the Barn Dining building, a farm structure dating back to the campus’ beginning as the 1907 Citrus Experiment Station (CES). The Barn itself was constructed in 1916, as a horse barn, storage facility, and caretaker cottage on the CES. The horse barn was converted into a student union/dining room when the University opened in 1954, and became the center of student social life.

The Barn’s original structure has been expanded into a complex made up of three buildings, an outdoor stage, and two large patio areas. The 8,600 sf main dining hall expands on the original building, retaining some of the trusses and wood beams, including a few that still bear char marks from a 1970 fire. The goal of the project was to maintain the historic character of The Barn, while providing a fully modernized facility; the original 1917 roof structure was preserved and remains a defining feature in the restored dining room. A black walnut tree harvested from the site was milled for wood used in the Faculty Bar and cedar siding from the original Barn Stable was reclaimed to use as casework.

The building features a glass outer wall with lattice slats that opens up the room with natural light, a change from the darkened atmosphere of the old Barn. The opposite glass wall doubles as the backdrop for an outdoor stage that will serve as the Barn’s new concert venue.

A new commercial kitchen was added; it supports the main restaurant, called The Barn, as well as the adjacent faculty/staff lounge called the Barn Stable. The stage patio area holds up to 500 audience members. Tickets for events can be purchased at the new 27-foot ticket tower which is lit up like a lantern at night. The last element of the complex is the Barn Theater, which was rebuilt as a multi-use classroom performing and rehearsal space for music and theater students.

Pacifica provided project and construction management services on the project, including supervising the process of raising the historic roof onto the renovated structure.