Fordon Horse Barn: 2025 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois

Location:

Saddle Brook Park, Saddle Brook Dr. (S. of 35th St), Oak Brook, DuPage County

Year built:

c. 1930

Architect:

Unknown

Current owner:

Oak Brook Park District

(Photo credit: Paul Morgan)

Historic Significance

The Fordon barn is situated in Saddle Brook Park, within the Saddle Brook Community of Oak Brook. It is a lasting reminder of an era when Oak Brook was the polo capital of the United States. The Oak Brook Polo Club was founded in 1922 and became one of the top clubs nationwide. Jerry Fordon, a competitive polo player and club member, purchased the barn in 1941 to house his polo ponies. In 1975, the Saddle Brook Development Company deeded the barn and surrounding parkland to the Oak Brook Park District. The barn’s ties to Oak Brook’s equestrian history are especially meaningful in light of the polo club’s closure in March 2025.

(Photo credit: Paul Morgan)

Current threat

The Oak Brook Park District is pursuing demolition of the historic barn. The park district formerly used the barn as storage but no longer needs it for that purpose. The park district originally planned to demolish the barn by the end of April 2025. However, pushback from residents has successfully delayed demolition. An open house at the barn was scheduled for April 26. Still, the Park District’s 2025-2026 draft budget discussed during a budget workshop on February 24 identifies the removal of the barn as a capital project for the upcoming fiscal year.

(Photo credits: Paul Morgan)

Preservation Solution 

The Oak Brook Park District’s Master Vision 2020-2030 prioritizes the preservation of the park district’s cultural and historical resources. Demolition would be totally at odds with this goal. One potential solution is for the Oak Brook Park District to renovate the barn as a programmable space. Alternatively, the Saddle Brook Community Association has expressed interest in taking responsibility for the barn for community use through a long-term lease or potentially by moving it to another nearby lot. In either scenario, local support will be essential for a successful outcome.

(Photo credit: Paul Morgan)

Take Action

Contact the Oak Brook Park District to express your opposition to the demolition of the barn and request that they work toward a preservation solution.

(Photo credit: Paul Morgan)

Elizabeth Arts

President, Oak Brook Historical Society

“The Fordon Horse Barn puts a spotlight on often overlooked places. It represents a window to the past where we get a unique opportunity to experience Oak Brook from a time when farms and pastoral settings were the norm. It brings to light and amplifies the cultural and social aspects of a polo club created by Paul Butler for the community, which for a time made Oak Brook the cornerstone of American polo culture. It is worth saving and preserving a place where American history happened.”

(Photo credit: Paul Morgan)