BISHOP HILL – The Bishop Hill Heritage Association is preparing to begin an exterior restoration of the 1854 Dairy Building next spring as the organization prepares to celebrate its 65th anniversary. Firmitas of Knoxville will serve as the general contractor for the project, which will include removing stucco, replacing bricks, tuckpointing, repairing the chimney and completing some woodwork repairs. The stucco was added after the Bishop Hill Colony period, and its removal will restore the building’s original appearance.
The restoration is expected to help preserve the Dairy Building’s structural stability for decades with proper maintenance. Interior repairs were completed in 2015, while a similar exterior restoration was completed on the Carpenter Shop in 2017.
The total cost of the Dairy Building project is $366,000, with much of the expense coming from stucco removal and tuckpointing. The Heritage Association does not have enough historic Colony bricks for the work, so custom woodfired bricks will be made in Manchester, England using specifications designed to match the original Bishop Hill bricks.
The association is beginning its fundraising with a hod of bricks campaign. For $250, donors can purchase a symbolic hod, which traditionally holds about 10 to 12 bricks. Donors will be recognized on a gift board at the Dairy Building and in other BHHA publications. Checks can be made payable to the BHHA and mailed to P.O. Box 92, Bishop Hill, Illinois 61419. Information is available by calling 309 927 3899 or emailing bhha@mymctc.net.