Miller Red Barn placed on National Register of Historic Places in 2016

Constructed in 1891, the Miller Red Barn has stood in Gilroy, California, as a product of the era's pole construction techniques. Built by rancher Henry Miller on the Glen Ranch, the barn was originally used to store hay for his cattle and horses. As the farm evolved, the building was repurposed for processing tree fruits. By 1906, as the wine grape industry in Santa Clara County began migrating southward, Henry Miller entered into a lease with the California Wine Association. In 1941, the San Martin Winery acquired the farm and used the barn for winemaking for an extended duration.

In 1962, a portion of the farm was donated to the city of Gilroy to establish Christmas Hill Park, which became the venue for the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival. The city later acquired the section containing the barn in 1990. For several years, the city permitted the festival to use the barn for storing event signs, but discontinued use due to concerns about its structural integrity. In 2013, the city moved to demolish the barn, sparking a public movement to preserve and restore the structure.

The barn is a vernacular-style building with a wide gabled transept designed to allow horse-drawn vehicles to pass through without turning around. It features redwood vertical boards with curved marks from steam-powered circular saws and a galvanized sheet metal roof installed in the early 1950s. The Miller Red Barn was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 26, 2016, holding historical significance under Criterion A for its role in the production of prunes, apricots, and wine grapes.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons