Apple to keep century-old historic barn on Campus 2 grounds

In keeping with late Apple cofounder Steve Jobs' Campus 2 land reclamation plan, a nearly 100-year-old barn will be saved from demolition to stand surrounded by trees at one corner of the huge lot.

With its ambitious Campus 2 facility, Apple is putting an emphasis on futuristic design, as evidenced by a circular glass-clad "spaceship" headquarters building, underground mega-theater and other supporting structures. But Jobs, who had more than a helping hand in the project, dreamed of returning 80 percent of the concrete sprawl laid down by former owner Hewlett-Packard to green space.

As part of the land reclamation initiative, Apple has decided to keep the historic Glendenning Barn intact as part of the build, reports the San Jose Mercury News.

"When they're finished, the land will look much more like it did 50 or 100 years ago than it looked five years ago," said former Cupertino Mayor Orrin Mahoney. "The barn fits into that."

Named after the Glendenning family, whose patriarch Robert Glendenning first settled the 160-acre plot in Santa Clara Valley 1850, the barn dates back to 1916 and bore witness to Silicon Valley's boom. The building stood as the lot transformed from an orchard into the foundation for modern business buildings owned by Varian Associates, then HP, and now Apple.

According to the Cupertino Historical Society, Apple carefully dismantled the barn and numbered its many pieces for reconstruction after Campus 2's modern facilities are complete. Apple also stored redwood salvaged from a nearby grove to replace boards that may potentially be damaged during the reconstruction process.

Glendenning barn will be relocated to a spot near Apple's new $74 million fitness center at the site's northwest corner. In its new role at Apple, old wood structure will serve as a storage facility for sports equipment, landscaping supplies and other maintenance materials needed to tend the grounds.

The $5 billion Campus 2 project was first pitched by Jobs to the Cupertino City Council in 2011. CEO Tim Cook expects to move into the enormous main structure by 2016.