Historic smile likely to return to Delafield barn
CITY OF DELAFIELD – The “Smiley Barn” at Highway 83 and I-94 could be smiling again soon, after a recommendation by the plan commission on May 30.
The barn sported a well-known smile for more than 20 years, until 2002, when it was removed by its new owner.
But now another new owner, Maria Luther, has proposed restoring the trademark grin, and city officials like the idea.
Although the smile doesn’t meet the city’s sign code, plan commissioners skirted the issue by approving the two 24-square-foot smiles — one on each side of the barn — as public art.
“I’ve never seen more support for something coming in front of the planning commission,” Commissioner Jim Reiher said. “I think public art is appropriately set for this.”
But the commission wasn’t as accepting of another part of Luther’s application: to paint a giant gumball machine mural on the barn’s silo. Luther is planning to put a toy and candy store in the barn, which most recently sold Amish furniture.
“As far as the gumballs are concerned, that’s not really a part of the historical sign,” said Mayor Kent Attwell.
About a dozen people came to the plan commission meeting to speak in favor of restoring the smiley barn, most of them wearing matching yellow shirts of support. Luther said she also had collected nearly 1,000 signatures on a petition for the smiley barn.
“In 2002 the new owner came in and painted the barn red. We had so many upset customers,” said Dick Smith, who owns a bait shop that has operated on the lower floor of the barn for more than 30 years.
“Now we have an opportunity to restore the historic image of Delafield,” Smith said. “Everyone who comes into our store wants that sign back. It’s historical.”
The Common Council is expected to vote on the plan commission’s recommendation on June 4.
History of the barn
The smile on the barn was put up in the late ‘70s or early ‘80s, though there is no record of the city approving the large sign, according to City Planner Roger Dupler.
The city also never asked the owners of the barn to remove the smile during the decades it resided there.
The smile was on the barn until it was purchased by Dan Leavitt in the early 2000s, for The Montage, which sells Amish furniture.
Montage is closing June 11. Leavitt told Lake Country Now that he had the smile removed because it is against Amish tradition to have human features on inanimate objects.