Rebuilding the Venetucci Barn from the Ashes of the Black Forest Fire

LGA Studios is proud to be a part of the rebuilding of Venetucci Farm.  The Venetucci story is one of community and a now-legendary commitment to giving back, making better, and bringing joy.  Many of you who have grown up in Colorado Springs have memories of going to this historic urban farm each October to pick out the perfect jack-o-lantern contender.  The Venetucci farm gave you that warm and fuzzy autumn feeling and a sepia-toned nostalgia that can only come from crunching through leaves in boots and searching the vines in be-mittened hands.  Beyond even the memory though, the Venetucci family literally gave you the pumpkin.  For decades, Nick and Bambi Venetucci gave thousands of pumpkins to children in the Pikes Peak region every year, ultimately numbering well over one million gifted gourds of cheer to celebrate the season. 

As Nick aged, the pumpkins diminished and eventually went away, however the farm was saved in 2006 by the Pikes Peak Community Foundation, bringing back the thriving crops and, of course, the Pumpkins for Kids program that is the Venetucci legacy.  The farm, which also grows asparagus and sweet corn, raises hogs, and produces honey, had a 100-year-old barn on the property that had fallen into disrepair, making it impossible to safely store hay and shelter produce and animals in the rotting, broken down structure. 

The PPCF began raising money to build a new barn, an ongoing funds drive to support our community farm that you can contribute to here, and LGA Studios, Stauffer & Sons Construction, and Morton Buildings came together to raise a much-needed new barn.  In this collaborative endeavor, LGA Studios drew new architectural plans for the barn, Morton Buildings raised the core and shell of the structure, and Stauffer & Sons oversaw the project and provided skilled construction expertise.  The new structure brings a bright future to this treasured Colorado Springs landmark, and a second structure is being built as well to expand the farm’s potential.  This story of regeneration and rebirth becomes even more poignant, however, as the barn is literally rising from the ashes of local tragedy.  

LGA Studios is passionate about green building, and we are always looking for ways to respect the environment and embrace new ways to build and give back.  In September, Larry gave a LEED presentation in Black Forest, giving us the idea to use reclaimed wood from a community tragedy to literally rebuild a symbol of community hope and resonance.  The Black Forest Fire in June left thousands of acres of charred trees, and to envision a way for something good to come from such catastrophic devastation shows the resilience of a community that will always find ways to rebuild and come together.  The Venetucci farm means so much to so many, and when Larry and Andy Stauffer approached the Coyne family, clients who lost their home in the Black Forest fire, about using burned trees from their property, they were more than happy to oblige.  Stauffer & Sons were able to remove the scorched skin from the trees, giving them strong lumber to rebuild both the old barn and to construct a new structure on the farm.  Check out this video of the construction process, aired by KRDO for more on the story, and the Stauffer & Sons blog for additional pictures. We’ve been honored to contribute to the Venetucci barn project, and we look forward to a bright future for the farm and the community. 

If you want to get involved and help out Venetucci Farm, you can: 

• Visit the Pikes Peak Community Foundation website to keep up with the farm, find out how to volunteer, and discover where Venetucci produce is sold
• Donate funds and learn more about the Venetucci story at www.raisethebarn.com
• Pick up some of Bristol Brewing Company's Venetucci Pumpkin Ale