The initial iteration of the Silent Barn, an underground performance space, opened in 2006 in Ridgewood, Queens.
[1] In the summer of 2011, the Queens location was closed by a city agency and subsequently vandalized and robbed while the residents were locked out.
It established itself as an organization and held several public meetings, where the community discussed sustainability and DIY, brainstorming for the future.
The three-story space[5] housed a live performance venue with a cafe/bar; visual art project spaces Disclaimer Gallery[6] and Casa Experimental;[7] and Vital Joint,[8] home of the Title:Point[9] theater company; along with more than a dozen artists' studios, including Gravesend Recordings,[10] Double Double Whammy[11] and Aftermath Supplies.
The top two floors of the building housed a four-apartment artists' residency program, with periodic open calls for new members.