DES MOINES, Iowa — The Horse Barn at the Iowa State Fairgrounds is now undergoing its second phase of construction.

The first phase was completed before the 2025 State Fair and upgraded the barn’s exterior, including new windows and doors.

Now, phase two includes upgrades inside the barn. The interior was fully gutted and will be replaced with new floors with radiant heat, 400 new portable stalls for horses, an indoor wash rack space for livestock, and more.

The radiant floors will allow the fairgrounds to host livestock shows in the early spring and late fall.

Iowa State Fair CEO Jeremy Parsons said there will also be a new lighting and electrical system.

The project is expected to cost $13.1 million and will be completed by the 2026 Iowa State Fair.

Parsons said this project will help preserve the barn for another century since the Horse Barn was designed in 1907 and an addition was last constructed in 1929.

“The fact that really nothing’s been done to it for almost 100 years, it’s really exciting to know that we’re able to preserve old buildings here at the fair, but then give them a new life as well,” he said.

Parsons also said the fair is hosting a Fair Surplus Auction at the end of October, where the original horse barn stalls will be auctioned.

The upgrades to the Horse Barn are part of a larger renovation project funded by the Blue Ribbon Foundation’s Back the Barns campaign. Fourteen projects in total will make improvements to the fairgrounds, including renovating all four livestock barns.

Renovations to the Sheep Barn were completed in 2024 and cost $6.5 million.

The entire campaign was expected to cost $25 million, but Parsons told WHO 13 News that the cost will likely be closer to $40 million to complete all projects properly.

People can support the Back the Barns campaign by donating a total of $3,000, either as a one-time payment, a three-year annual fee of $1,000, or a three-year quarterly donation of $250. Supporters of Back the Barns will be gifted an Iowa State Fair belt buckle. Click here to donate.