Grand Prospect Hall Leveled Leaving Neighbors Gutted: Report

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Grand Prospect Hall was reportedly leveled Friday, leaving neighbors gutted after a months-long fight to save the iconic, century-old banquet hall.

"Prospect Hall was home to such rich history and deeply personal memories of so many. As a native New Yorker, today I feel like we have all lost a family member," Jim Glaser, an artist who lives in Park Slope, told the Brooklyn Paper, which was the first outlet to report this story with photos of the building reduced to dirt (taken by Glaser).

The demolition marks the end of an ongoing fight to save the historic hall, which was built on Prospect Avenue in 1892 and sold to new owners last summer.

Its once-lavish interior, which was the site of thousands of weddings, festivals, and concerts, was gutted shortly after the sale, but neighbors and local politicians rallied against further demolition, urging the city to landmark the beloved venue.

Then-Mayor (and Park Sloper) Bill de Blasio even got involved in the efforts at one point, saying he would try to save the building's facade.

Those efforts (and subsequent legal attempts) amounted to little, though, with developers filing permits to turn the beloved venue into a five-story, 147-unit condo building earlier this month.

A group of neighbors made a "Hail Mary" attempt to work with the developer and save part of the hall (Glaser among them), but the new owners wouldn't answer their calls, and the teardown began this week.

Now that the building is totally destroyed, Glaser said all he can do is remember its history and the meaning it had for so many New Yorkers.

"Rest In Peace, Grand Prospect Hall — 1892-2022," he signed off on an email to the Brooklyn Paper.