A piece of Naperville history was torn down last July to make way for the future. Crews demolished the recreation barn at Knoch Park where they are now replacing it with an $8-million maintenance facility for the Naperville Park District.
In 1965, a group of Naperville teens worked with the city to create a place for local youth to hang out and built the barn. The park district acquired it four years after.
Decades later, in 2009, an evaluation determined the barn would have to come down. During a farewell party, bands that used to play there more than 40 years ago had one last encore performance before the barn’s demolition.
The park district is reusing materials from the old barn to build the maintenance facility. Officials say the new structure will help them better serve the Ron Ory Garden Plots, Sportsman Park, Riverwalk, and downtown parks.
