Travel Tidbits: The Bees Knees Barn

 The Bees Knees Barn, a unique piece of architecture nestled in the Southern California high desert landscape. The story behind this nail-less constructed barn is equally captivating, centered around Gene Harrington, an aerospace engineer, entrepreneur, and visionary.

Gene was one of the first merit scholars in 1976, earning a scholarship to Cornell University. Graduating with a degree in mathematics, she carved out a stellar career in the world of engineering, working on groundbreaking projects like trajectory calculations for the first ever satellite launched to Venus.

In the early 1980s, inspired by the beauty of the American landscape during frequent cross-country trips, Gene purchased a 10-acre property in Joshua Tree, California. Here, she would build the Bees Knees Barn, a unique living space as a testament to her engineering acumen and her love for the country's unique geography.

Built in collaboration with Timber Peg, a company specializing in customizable, timber frame homes, The Bees Knees Barn is held together by posts and beams, with no nails used in the construction - a testament to its exceptional seismic integrity. And not to overlook Gene’s attention to inclusivity, the barn is fully ADA compliant.

Co-founded by Ryan Cherlin and Andrew Fortner, Copper Moon Management has curated a portfolio of epic vacation homes that blend high-design and unique history with Joshua Tree’s high-desert vibes.

I had a chance to learn more about the Bees Knees Barn in an interview. 

My mother, Gene Herrington, (nee Thomas) who designed and built 'The Barn' in 1997, defied all gender expectations for what a woman could do, starting with the first National Merit Scholarship (Cornell University) and the cover of Life Magazine in 1946. 

In spite of losing her hearing in her left ear in her first year of college, she managed to graduate with Honors from Cornell University (1950) holding a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics. 

 

My mother parlayed that Mathematics degree (and later a Professional Engineering (P.E.) License) into a notable 40 year engineering career in Aerospace, Ocean Engineering, and, finally, Civil Engineering. 

 

Her time in aerospace (Space General and AeroJet) was notable as she single-handedly calculated the trajectory for the first human-made satellite to the planet Venus and later did fuel load calculations for the Gemini project.  

 

My mother, while married to my father, Thomas R. Hudson, achieved so much professionally while also having 4 children and managing a very volatile, unstable, and unemployable husband.

 

Needless to say,  getting an equitable divorce in 1966 was no small feat and becoming a single mom, supporting 4 kids, buying a house, a new car, and being completely financially independent was herculean. 

 

Later, after she remarried, Bruce Herrington, she, in partnership with my step-dad, opened a series of gift stores in Southern California, one of which was The Other Tree.  

 

The Other Tree was her store from concept to implementation to grand opening. This store was not a overly-commercialized and heavily-controlled franchise like our first store, The Plum Tree. 

 

The Other Tree was a trend setter of style and taste - well before its time in 1972 -  and it featured a big stained-glass window with an etched Monterey Pine tree that she designed and had custom made and installed in the front of the store. 

 

That window, which is now an integral part of the Bees Knees Barn, is a testament to her vision and tenacity, where she held tightly to her dreams in the face of big corporate power and greed. 

 

After the gift stores, my mother reinvented herself again, and became a Civil Engineer. In the late '80s working for the Dept. Of the Navy, my mother built (as Project Manager) the largest helicopter hangars in the world at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Tustin. You can still see these hangars today from the 405 Freeway. 

 

My mother retired from the Navy in 1995 and the Bees Knees Barn was her personal capstone project. 

 

What lends the Barn such structural integrity is the size of the solid timber posts and beams and the strong but flexible "peg" construction.