HORSESHOE BAY FARMS VISION + IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

A forward-thinking road map to a shared vision generated through historic research, extensive community engagement, and impression-based methods of field investigation.

Egg Harbor, Wisconsin

8.5 acres, 2019-2020

  • The mission of Horseshoe Bay Farms Inc. is to act as responsible stewards through preservation, rehabilitation, and activation of historic Horseshoe Bay Farms to secure its future for generations to come. Horseshoe Bay Farms is an exceptionally large and intact agricultural campus in Egg Harbor, WI consisting of 12 historic structures on an 8-1/2-acre portion of a former stock raising farm and orchard. The campus was designed and constructed between 1918 and 1920 as a state-of-the-art showcase of innovation and efficiency, and it was added to the State Register of Historic Places in 2011 and to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. In order to save this important part of Door County’s history, Horseshoe Bay Farms Inc. (HSBF) acquired the property, began efforts to stabilize and preserve the historic structures, and initiated a master planning process. Open to the public for the first time in its over 100-year history, HSBF is committed to shaping a cultural institution that serves the entire community as a center of learning and culture, carries the Horseshoe Bay Farms spirit of innovation into the future, and reactivates this heritage site while honoring its legacy. Working in collaboration with HSBF, our interdisciplinary design team is creating a forward-thinking road map to a shared vision generated through historic research, extensive community engagement, and impression-based methods of field investigation.

  • The community members of Egg Harbor and stakeholders who have personal connections Horseshoe Bay Farms are deeply invested in the memory of the farm and its significance to the county. From community conversations and collage exercises, to online surveys and site walks, the feedback and support of the community has been an essential source of guidance for the master planning process.

    The complex material history of this site - the unique geology, agricultural remnants, extensive stone walls and intact series of barns - led the design team to employ unconventional techniques for recording and uncovering the unique qualities of the site. These impressions have informed the site interpretation and helped to capture the ephemeral nature and embodied power of place.

  • As a Center for Sustainable Stewardship, the Farm teaches by example the principles of care for the site, land, and history, serves the Door County community as a center of learning and culture, and supports innovation as a hub for development and exchange of stewardship practices. Bridging the past with the present, and science with art and culture, Horseshoe Bay Farms continues to serve the community as an important civic landmark where its history can be celebrated and shared. This master plan responds to current developments in the regional context, including imminent plans for a multi-modal, all seasons Beach-to-Beach trail and the recently completed comprehensive 20-year plan for the Village of Egg Harbor.

PROJECT DETAILS

Location Egg Harbor, Wisconsin

Client Horseshoe Bay Farms

Team TEN x TEN, AWH Architects, New History, Wigen Consulting

Area 8.5 acres

Status Plan Completed in 2020

AWARDS

  • 2022 ASLA Minnesota Merit Award for Planning + Urban Design

  • 2022 ASLA Wisconsin Honor Award for Communication

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