See What’s Round the Bend
See What’s Round the Bend, Ryan’s Round Barn is what’s round the bend. Because you have to bend the wood to make it round. 🙂 Get it? bend, round.
Well, we went camping at this beautiful state park a couple weeks ago. Where it is home to Ryan’s Round Barn, one of the nation’s largest round barns, measuring eighty feet high and eighty-five feet in diameter, and one of forty-two remaining in the State of Illinois, is an architectural marvel.
This barn was on the farm of Dr. Laurence Ryan, built as a retreat from his work as surgeon and chief of the medical staff at St. Anthony Hospital in Chicago. Ryan developed plans for the round barn to house 50 purebred Black Angus cattle.
And it is a true round barn, the idea of making a round barn was discovered by a man who was looking at a cow from above, the cow is a wedge-shaped animal, like a piece of pie. So they figured they could get more cows in the barn and have the silo/feed in the middle. More efficient they figured.
Below is what the barn looks like on the inside today.
Photo below is looking up at the ceiling from the inside.
I do love finding historical places like this. They did not build many barns like this for a couple reasons, one it was a nightmare for the construction worker who had to figure out how to build it and second, the neighbors would give you a hard time for building something so strange looking back in the day.
See What’s Round the Bend
65 Replies to “See What’s Round the Bend”
Wow!! That is so beautiful. I love old barns. Never seen a round one, myself. Very cool.
Thank you Jess.🙂
How wonderful!
Thank you very much.
What a beautiful place, and that ceiling! An absolute gem. Thanks for taking us there!
You are very welcome Mary.
Well now. That’s kind of amazing. Oh the things you see if you only have eyes to look
Laugh On
Yes Mr. Ohh, there is so much to see and sometimes right in our backyards. 🙂
Wow, that is a beauty, Sandra! You got a wonderful series of images documenting that piece of history.
Thank you Ellen, and the state park takes care of it so well. It is fun to see bits of history like this.
What an amazing building. Looks exceptionally well maintained.
✨☀️🙏🕉️♾️☮️🙏☀️✨
Yes, they really do a good job at keeping it updated.
I painted a couple round barns from the Eastern township. Loved the history about how they migrated to Canada. Legend says round insured the devil could not hide in corners 😊
Yes, I read about that legend as well. 🙂
That was interesting both inside and outside … beautiful architecture to be honest. I like the color and wonder why neighbors would object as the bright red is certainly colorful in landscape like farms which is usually just drab coloring, fields and wooden barns.
Yes, I think the farmers were probably set in their ways even back then. And to see a round barn went out of the norm. But, I bet the farmers giving them a hard time are thinking, ” I wish I would have thought of that” 🙂
I’ll bet you are right Sandra – you gave us a glimpse of the outside, but the inside looked modern and I am sure they were envious of the entire concept.
It really is beautiful and I can only imaging the level of work involved to create that barn. I love that things like this are restored and kept in tact for us to appreciate. Loved the inside view too looking up at the ceiling. Great images! Thank you.
Yes, can you imagine that it was a working barn at one time. He loved his prize cattle and wanted the best barn for them.
Very cool.
Thank you very much. 🙂
Beautiful barn!
Thank you, yes it is very unique. 🙂
There are some round barns here in Québec, mostly in the Eastern Townships. Beautiful buildings.
Great photos. Thank you, Sandra, have a nice day.
That is so nice to hear there are more of these unique barns. And they keep this one in pretty good shape. Thank you Francine, 🙂
So his cows got a square meal in a round barn.
Yes, unless they were round bales. 😂
Neat!
Beautiful! I visited a round barn in Tennessee once. You brought me back! <3 Thanks! <3
They are beautiful, and so unique.
Wow! This barn is not only beautiful, but amazingly functional. Thank you for sharing this treasure.
You are very welcome. 🙂
I had a friend that owned a round house
I have seen a couple round houses, those are interesting as well.
What a magnificent building. So profoundly neat – wonderful architecture.
It really is Don, when people put their minds together, they can accomplish anything.
Doctor Ryan and his architect had an imagination!:))
They truly did, it is such an amazing piece of work, the inside is incredible. 🙂
It is very beautiful bend!! I read about it in Wikipedia:)
An architectural marvel, indeed. The surroundings are awesome as well. 💕
Isn’t it something, they built an efficient barn by how the cows were built. That is thinking outside the box. 🙂
That’s really cool. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a round barn before.
I know, this is the only one I have ever seen also Greg, They take care of it real nice.
I never thought about cows being wedge animals! Great design! Thanks for sharing.
You are very welcome, yes I never thought of them being like that either. 🙂
Sorry I meant Sandra, so sorry!
🙂 that is OK, you were close. 🙂
Amazing design Cindy, and to fit 50 Angus in there, even more amazing.
It is such a great idea, and all the feed was put in the middle, they were really thinking on this design.
Never heard of a round barn before Sandra? I bet it’s structurally stronger than a normal barn! Five feet of snow on the roof would prove that out I bet!
It is such a unique building Wayne, the inside is amazing, especially the ceiling.
a true work of art!
Marvelous architecture!
It truly is, they take care of it so well also.
Good to know they do take lot of care to maintain the structures.
Yes, it is on the National Historic Registry, that helps.
👍
Good to know🙏
That’s really neat. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that.
Same here Herb, there were not a lot of them built. But I can see why they would be so efficient. Great minds build great things. 🙂
Waoo superbe endroit un travail magnifique !!
Thank you, it is an amazing place.