When the property west of Grubb Road was secured in 1909, it became possible for Arden to expand. The Red House (BR11) having become cramped, the old Derrickson barn was converted into a half-timbered community center. The entire male population of the town, including Upton Sinclair and Scott Nearing, participated in a floor-laying bee in June 1910. The interior was deliberately left rustic. The building has accommodated innumerable town meetings, vespers, theatricals, and pageants. Beneath the structure on the downhill slope was the Moonlight Theater, open on one side to the elements (recently restored). On Sherwood Green nearby stands Buzz Ware Village Center, designed as Arden School by local architect Frances Harrison (1945–1947), who made innovative use of radiant floor heat and sliding interior walls. It was one of the first schools in the state to defy segregation laws (1952).