CABOT - The sound of hammering echoed from a historic barn at Concordia Lutheran Ministries last week, but the "tap, tap, tapping" was somewhat deceptive.

On the ground nearby, slats of siding were stacked on a trailer. Square sheets of slate stood upright in rows, their feathered edges resembling the pages of a primitive book.

Originally built in the 1800s, the barn must have countless chapters of history. But workers that day were focused on the future instead of the past. Rather than working on restoration, they were dissembling the structure piece by piece.

The decision to tear down the barn was made last November, said Keith Frndak, president and CEO of Concordia. Removing it would accommodate the need for expansion at the continuing care retirement community, he said.

"We're doubling the size of the Lund Care Center," Frndak said. "We're adding about 200 private rooms, and basically the expansion kind of infringes on the space around the barn."

Concordia considered dissembling the barn and selling the lumber and other components.

But instead of letting the building and its history go to waste, Frndak said Concordia's administrators and board of directors decided to give it to Archie Black, a farmer whose barn had burned down

five mon

ths earlier.

Black's farm was less than a mile away.

"It just so happens we were made aware that last summer Mr. Black's barn burned down," Frndak said. "Black was so close, and he had a need."

The opportunity to save the barn was welcomed at Concordia.

"The barn has a lot of historical significance to this facility," Frndak said.

The neighborly gift of a three-story barn follows two similar acts of kindness.The first was carried out in 1882 by Margaretha Oertel of Jefferson Township, who followed her late husband's wish to leave their estate to the orphans and aged.In December of that year, Oertel conveyed the farm of 46 acres to the Evangelical Lutheran Concordia Synod of Pennsylvania.In July of 1883, the Concordia Home for Orphans was opened. A schoolhouse was built two years later. In 1916, the senior citizens portion was added.Currently, Concordia consists of three retirement apartment dwellings, two skilled nursing facilities and three assisted living facilities spread out over several locations in Butler and Allegheny counties."Concordia raised over 1,000 orphans from 1883 to 1954," Frndak said. "Part of the orphanage was a working farm with cows, chickens, pigs - the whole thing."(The original barn) was destroyed by fire in 1918," he added.The second generous act came a short time later, when neighbors rallied together to reconstruct the barn."A new barn was built in the spring of 1919," Frndak said. "All the neighbors participated in providing materials, replacing livestock."Even the Pittsburgh Brewing Company made a contribution," he said, explaining orphans housed at Concordia mainly came from the Pittsburgh area.The generosity that surrounds the barn's history influenced the decision to give the barn to Black."He's a neighbor in need and, again, when you read the history, the neighbors rallied around Concordia," Frndak said. "In large part, they helped us rebuild the barn. The barn was rebuilt without cost due to the generosity of our neighbors."It just seemed like the right thing to do."

Black, who raises Hereford beef cows, is grateful for the new barn that is making its way to his 125-acre farm.After family members helped him remove much of the Concordia barn's interior, which had been remodeled to accommodate festivals, sports camps and summer theater, Black enlisted the help of a professional crew to help him relocate the building.Beginning deconstruction early this month and working between bouts of rain, the crew has removed the slate roof and most of the exterior walls.Simultaneously, back at Black's farm on Bonniebrook Road, a masonry company has been preparing a foundation for the reassembled structure.Black said concrete blocks for the foundation, tin to replace the original slate roof and a few boards to patch the siding were all the materials he would need to buy.It is too early to speculate on final costs to employ the six-man Amish crew or a timeline for completion, he added."The labor's going to be half of what it would cost if I had to buy everything," he said. "I didn't know if I wanted to tackle it or not, because of the expense of doing it. But we'll give her a try."Black said one thing he is sure about, however, is his appreciation for help he has received since his previous barn was destroyed.In the fire last July, seven calves, two dogs and a pair of rabbits were lost along with a large amount of farm machinery. Damage was estimated at more than $200,000 on the partially insured structure.Immediately after the fire, Black said neighbors also came forward with manpower and machinery to help him clean up."I can be thankful for everything," he said.