Last Barn of its Kind

What is Experiential Hospitality with Isaac French?

This is the audio version of my weekly newsletter, Experiential Hospitality, where I share stories and insights to help you craft unforgettable spaces and experiences through design & hospitality.

last barn of its kind.

My dad found the listing and abandoned old
farm 20 minutes from our home in Idaho.

It was $1,360 an acre all in, but hidden
in plain sight was a nugget of gold.

A hand hu timber frame barn on
the brink of collapse today.

It's a stunning hospitality property.

And here's the story, how

during the post pandemic wobble and
rural land prices, this forgotten farm

hit the market rolling wheat fields, a
handful of scrappy buildings and a near

collapsing barn piled high with rusting
equipment near the brow of the hill.

The barn was in serious disrepair,
but when we took our friend Kevin, an

old barn expert to see it, he lit up.

This frame was hand hu and really special.

Turns out the barn was built in 1910.

A Dutch frame barn, already rare for
this part of the country and possibly

the last of its kind ever built.

The craftsmanship was elite.

We acted fast.

My dad used a business
line of credit to buy it.

Not supposed to, but you have
to get creative sometimes.

Then immediately subdivided a few
buildable lots and sold them off.

Recouping nearly half the purchase
price for the whole place.

Then we got to work.

My brothers, dismantled the barn
beam by beam washing and restoring.

Each one.

A new concrete foundation was poured.

Then they reassembled a frame, adding
some epic windows to capture that view.

But while waiting for the windows
which were delayed, of course,

my brother John built a silo.

Well, technically he built a three
story tower, clad and corrugated

10 that looked like a silo inside a
commercial kitchen on the first floor,

and luxury suites up above next door
sat a hundred year old farmhouse

updated in the sixties or seventies.

But after stripping all that
obnoxious faux paneling and vinyl

siding, we found another gem beneath.

My brothers refinished all the floors,
exposed beams and original brick.

My mom, queen of antiques,
scoured shops and sails to

furnish it with period pieces.

Every corner tells a story.

I was busy in Texas building Live Oak Lake
during this season, but I made one small

contribution sketching a simple mural,
which we painted on the side of the barn.

Morning Glory farm, in honor of the
wildflowers blanketing, the long

driveway, and the kind of sunrise
you'll never forget from that hilltop.

Today the barn host weddings.

The silo serves as
bridal and family suites.

The farmhouse is a standalone rental rich
with history and nostalgia, and every

few months, my mom, sisters and their
friends host a proper high tea there.

Homemade finger food, elegant
pastries, fresh flowers, hot

drinks, and warm conversation.

Fill the cozy little house.

The waiting list is long,
but everyone's welcome.

And all of this sits just outside
the quaint town of Dairy Idaho.

Home to the pie, safe Brush
Creek Creamery, the train

depot, and so much more.

Two of my brothers live on the property
and we have big plans for morning glory

orchards, more animals, and more gardens.

A true working farm experience for all
to enjoy working together as a family

is one of the deepest joys of my life.

Everybody brings different
strengths and plenty of weaknesses.

You learn.

It's a process though, to
compliment instead of compete.

I'm really grateful for the
family God has given me.

Wouldn't trade it for anything.

I found the photo of some of
us siblings and friends after

a family dinner in the barn.

It was a few years ago.

We climbed the hill for sunset and then a
harvest Moon rose over morning Glory farm.

Falling beams and forgotten
dreams rebuilt together.

Time to plan a trip.

My family and our friends
would be happy to host you and

I bet you'd leave inspired.

Hope y'all have a wonderful
week and go create more beauty

wherever you find yourself.

See you next week, Isaac.