Page 8 - Jeffersonville Journal Visitors Guide

THIS OLD BARN
W hen you think of a barn what comes to mind? A place that housed your family’s animals or a place you spent from dusk ‘til dawn working? An old abandoned building that served as a storage unit? I suppose it depends on your age. Did you grow up when farms were booming or were you only told stories of what
The newly renovated barn, 2nd floor with new Hickory floors, sound proof recording studio, how the lower level looked pre-renovations. A decorative G welcomes visitors to
By Meaghan Mullally-Gorr
used to be?
For me, growing up, the
Silent G Farm.
barns located on various
family members’ properties
served as large, mysterious playgrounds. They housed unique treasures and plenty of room for us kids to get lost for hours. We would throw birthday parties in the hay loft, play house in the pig pen and have games of hide and seek in the horse stalls.
shape. The wood is worn from years of weather and sunlight, giving the old barn that most sought after dated look. Elizabeth guides me into the ground floor entrance and it is clear that this is not the barn of my childhood.
We knew that these barns once served a great purpose, but that was all in our parents or grandparents time. Who knew that years later our former playgrounds would be renovated, repurposed and updated into highly sought after city escapes and event and wedding venues. I recently visited several beautiful properties and let me tell you, barns ain’t what they used to be.
There is a full sound proof recording studio. Elizabeth’s husband is in the music business. This is his version of “work from home”. There are three bedrooms and two and a half baths. From the doors to the fixtures, the design is flawless, all in a day’s work for Elizabeth, a NYC Interior Designer.
My first visit was to Silent G Farms in North Branch. Walking across the dirt driveway I was greeted by a barking dog. There’s a farm house, a guest house, a pond, an outdoor sauna, great fields, mature trees and, of course, the barn. Everything looks down on gorgeous hillside views. Sounds typical for an 1800’s farm right? Not quite. I finally meet up with Elizabeth, she and her family bought the property in 2014 and a typical farm this is not.
Up the stairs to the main attraction. The upper level of the barn is large, open, clean and beautiful, complete with a wooden wagon wheel adorned on a beam. The new hickory floors both lighten and decorate the room. The space screams with possibilities. At the far end the floor is raised just enough to be considered a stage. Oh the fun to be had.
From the outside the view is grand. The laid up foundation is flawless, the barn is large and, thanks to recent renovation, in perfect
Silent G Farms is inviting and laid back yet beautifully immaculate in design. It is a place that welcomes you and
6 Jeffersonville Journal • 2016-2017