Sneak Peek Inside Barrington's White House, Stocking the Kitchen and Upcoming Open House

Barrington's White House ready to welcome the community! Image taken by Deborah Leydig, owner of Norton's U.S.A.

Barrington has been celebrating its 150th Anniversary this year in glorious fashion with various special events including an 1865 Street Festival back in April, a birthday celebration at Citizen's Park and more to come! Along the way, the town renovated one of its most iconic and historic structures, Barrington's White House. Anyone who has traveled along Main Street this past year cannot have missed this massive community effort. In fact, fresh in my mind is viewing the home this spring still encased in evidence of ongoing construction. The house above once looked like this:

A Little History:

The grand structure was originally built in 1898 by John Robertson Jr., an influential and well-respected citizen of Barrington. John was a banker and eventually became president of Barrington's first bank. He also was actively involved in Barrington civic affairs and sat on the Board of Education and eventually the Village Board. Other Robertson family members also held local offices in Barrington, John built his home on Main Street to facilitate conducting business in Barrington. The house was one of the largest of the day and included all of the modern conveniences. Thanks to the efforts of committee members, volunteers, community donors and the guiding hands of Mary Smith and Beth Raseman, the home has returned to its former glory!

Inside a Landmark:

Last week, I helped "Stock the Kitchen" and took a sneak peek of the grand cultural center! As a charming and marvelous focal point of Barrington, the dream for the renovation was to forge an elegant yet functional house for the community! After taking my peek, I feel that this has been achieved! Beauty, grace, comfort all rolled into one:

The fireplace room.

A welcoming parlor.

The third floor of the building is a lovely ballroom with just the right amount off gold accents. Who can't be swept away by the chandeliers?

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The first floor contains several rooms renovated into functional areas for community and cultural events including the kitchen which will be home to visiting chefs, cooking classes and even preparation efforts for events. All of the rooms are elegantly appointed yet comfortable enough to warmly welcome the community.

Deborah Leydig of Norton's U.S.A. stocking the kitchen.

Gillian Stoettner, a renovation committee member, stocking the kitchen.

The dining room provides quite the elegant space for a formal dinner:

Stock the Kitchen: A Way You Can Help:

Norton's U.S.A. partnered with the Barrington's White House committee to "Stock the Kitchen." Everything sold at Norton's U.S.A. is made in America making the pairing a natural fit since most things would have been made in America at the time the home was built. "Stock the Kitchen" is a community-driven initiative to buy items filling drawers, cabinets, counters and every nook and cranny of the home's kitchen making it ready to come alive for cooking events! Stainless steel cookware, glassware, bakeware, china place settings, cutlery and more items have already been purchased from Norton's U.S.A. fulfilling about 75% of the Barrington's White House's wishlist. The home has its very own gift registry that community members can purchase and donate from. There are still kitchen gadgets, place settings and more available for purchase if you would like to be part of this effort. Items are in various price ranges opening up this opportunity to everyone to be part of this historical and monumental event! You can access the gift registry online or by visiting Norton's U.S.A. in Barrington. PLUS, the items still needed will be available for purchase at the Barrington's White House's Open House September 26-27!

Gillian Stoettner and Molly Hamman, Barrington's White House Committee Members and Deborah Leydig of Norton's U.S.A. "Stock the Kitchen!"

Upcoming Open House:

Thanks to the work of committee members and volunteers along with generous community donations, Barrington's White House will soon be open for all to see! September 26 and 27 welcomes the community for an Open House from 12PM-4PM. What a great opportunity to see the culmination of the work that has crafted this magnificent renovation! During the event, visitors are invited to visit the rooms of this magnificent cultural center. Plus. there will be an opportunity to be part of the effort by purchasing remaining items to "Stock the Kitchen." The Barrington's White House is already hosting community events, so be sure to check out the events calendar. Some of the events will introduce you to local artists, writers and musicians--so a true treasure!

**Disclosure: I do help Norton's U.S.A. with Social Media Outreach. However, I wanted to expose this new treasure to my readers. Opinions are 100% my own.