Rebuild Horn Farm
On the night of October 25th, lightning struck the Horn Farm Center’s historic farm house, destroying the 2nd and 3rd floors. Since then, recovery and rebuilding efforts are underway. This page details our progress on rebuilding the farmhouse and will be updated regularly.
Coming Soon: Construction Begins in 2024
In October 2023, we completed the final construction documents for the Horn Farm Center’s new classroom and office building. The road to revitalizing and rebuilding our facility has been a long one.
We remain steadfast in our determination to bring the new design for an accessible, energy-efficient, functional, and historically-inspired educational facility into reality. Through a significant amount of time, focus, and community investment, we are learning what it takes to truly live our values.
Honoring Our History
We’ve been careful to preserve historic features in the design – including extensive repointing of our 19th century brick, restoring wood lintels, sills, and bullnose architectural moldings of all 26 windows, reconstructing the original chimneys, and adding a new standing seam metal roof.
Serving Our Community
Once parceled into separate rooms for an 1800s residence, the floor plan has been re-engineered to accommodate a large classroom downstairs and an open concept office space and meeting rooms upstairs. The building will also be more accessible with commercial ADA upgrades.
Reducing Our Environmental Impact
Infrastructural features like improved insulation, a nearly air-tight building envelope, and a powerful solar system will keep the building’s carbon emissions, and energy costs, to zero. And, water catchment and infiltration systems will conserve water on site.
We’re enormously proud of our team, collaborators, and donors for keeping our values front and center to guide this process.
A special thanks to our design contractors Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects, Lewis Contractors, Quarry View Building Group, and 7group for embracing and leading the project. We’re grateful for their patience, expertise, and commitment to their craft.
Rebuild Timeline:
- Spring 2024 – Fundraising Campaign
- Fall 2024 – primary construction activities
- Finishing & occupancy; celebration event
The final design goals include:
- Large Classroom Space, Restroom & Kitchenette Downstairs
- Office Spaces, Restroom, & Storage Upstairs
- An Energy & Water Efficient Building
- Public Access Composting Toilets On Site (outbuilding)
- Other Site Improvements including an enhanced outdoor classroom area on the north porch of the building
The Rebuild Project is Supported by:
- Powder Mill Foundation
- J. William Warehime Foundation
- York County Community Foundation including the Sustainable Energy Fund
- Berks County Community Foundation MetEd Penelec Sustainable Energy Fund
- The Arthur J and Lee R Glatfelter Foundation
- York County Land Bank Authority
- The David Hogg Family Foundation
- Kinsley Construction & Kinsley Education Center
- Energy Opportunities
- FirstEnergy
- Commonwealth Fire Protection
- ShipleyEnergy
- York Water Company
- Charlene Senglaub & Wendy Colby
- The Garden Club of York
- Eastern York High School’s National Honors Society
- The Rotary Club of York
- York Rotary Charitable Endowment Fund
- Friends, volunteers, and donors like you!
We are currently seeking financial support for this project.
If you are interested in investing in the future of the Horn Farm Center by contributing to the Building Fund, please contact Executive Director, Alexis Campbell at executivedirector@hornfarmcenter.org.
