The Logan County History Center, along with the Logan County Land Trust, join together to sponsor an evening with barn construction expert Rudy R. Christian at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5, at the Logan County Transportation Museum, 521 E. Columbus Ave.
A founding member and past president of the Timber Framers Guild and founding member and past president of Friends of Ohio Barns, Christian will be speaking about barn construction and preservation.
Christian and his son operate Christian & Son, Inc. in Burbank, Ohio, and his experience includes national and international speaking engagements and instructing educational workshops, as well as publication of various articles about historic conservation.
He presented a program at the Logan County History Center in 2017.
“We look forward to welcoming him back to Logan County and hearing more about barn construction and preservation,” History Center and Land Trust representatives said.
Christian & Son, Inc. provides design and construction services for traditionally built timber structures, consultation & restoration services for historic buildings, and educational opportunities through affiliated trades organizations.
Christian is also a founding member and past executive director of the Preservation Trades Network and is a founding member of the Traditional Timber Frame Research and Advisory Group and the International Trades Education Initiative.
His educational background includes the study of structural engineering at both General Motor’s Institute in Flint, Mich., and Akron University in Ohio. He and his son, Carson, have also studied historic compound roof layout and computer modeling at the Gewerbe Akademie in Rotweil, Germany.
He and his wife, Laura Saeger Christian, were adjunct professors at Palomar College in San Marcos, Calif., and are approved workshop instructors for the Timber Framers Guild. His focus on the business of timber framing began in 1982.
Christian’s professional experience as president of Christian & Son, Inc. includes reconstruction of the historic “Big Barn” at Malabar Farm State Park near Mansfield, and relocation of the 19th century Crawford Horse Barn in Newark. These projects featured “hand-raisings” which were open to the public and attracted a total of 130,000 interested spectators.
He also led a crew of timber framers at the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival, Masters of the Building Arts program in the recreation and raising of an 18th century carriage house frame on the Mall in Washington, D.C.