Preliminary plans to preserve the iconic Horseshoe Bay Farms property in Egg Harbor were unveiled last week during a meeting of the project’s advisory committee. Property owners Glenn & Barbara Timmerman announced they have secured two nationally-recognized restoration & landscape specialists and plan to create a non-profit organization focusing on preservation & public access. The Timmerman’s are receiving help from Uihlein-Wilson Architects of Milwaukee & P. Allen Smith of Little Rock, Arkansas. The state architectural firm has special expertise in restoration & re-purposing historic properties. P. Allen Smith is nationally known for being an expert in site design & sustainable growing practices & hosts a gardening program on public television.
The Horseshoe Bay Farm property includes vintage structures circa 1916-1917, including five barns, a creamery, four farm outbuildings & five farm houses on 13 acres of land South of Egg Harbor, overlooking the waters of Egg Harbor. It was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 2012. Besides restoration of the structures, initial ideas include tours, education & exhibit centers. The project’s advisory committee includes Jim Draeger, architect for the Wisconsin Historical Society. Grants from the National Trust for Historic Preservation & the Cliff & Clara Herlache Foundation are helping defray the costs of the master planning project. Project planning work is expected to be completed by mid-June.
