Petition Rushes To Save BK's Grand Prospect Hall From Demolition

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — A petition hoping to save the recently-purchased Grand Prospect Hall from being demolished has gained nearly 200 signatures in just two days.

The online petition, aimed at stopping a demolition application filed for the property in late July, was just 15 people away from its 200-signature goal as of Monday afternoon.

Its creators hope the support will keep the historic banquet hall from being torn down while a request to have it landmarked is evaluated by the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission.

"This historic venue, host to Brooklyn's oldest operating elevator, is now at risk of disappearing from existence, destroying its legacy and the location where thousands of weddings, festivals, and concerts have taken place over its 129 year lifespan," wrote Toby Pannone, who started the petition. "...If the Department of Buildings chooses to approve this demolition, over a century of Brooklyn history will be gone."

Pannone said he has submitted a Request for Evaluation to the LPC and is awaiting a response, according to the petition.

Grand Prospect Hall, which has stood on Prospect Avenue since 1892, was one of 12 properties sold earlier this summer to electrical contractor Angelo Rigas in a $30-million deal, the Real Deal and PincusCo first reported.

An application to demolish the building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was filed shortly after on July 23, though it has not been approved, according to Department of Building records.

There currently is a partial stop work order on the property specifically for the Polish-American WWII Veterans Monument found in its side yard, records show.

The sale to Rigas is the first time Grand Prospect Hall has changed owners since the 1980s, when Michael and Alice Halkias bought the four-story venue, according to reports.

The building has been shuttered since Michael Halkias died of coronavirus complications during the pandemic, the Real Deal reported.

It is known for its appearance in movies, photoshoots and local commercials. Those who signed the petition remembered years of weddings, graduations and other memories at the building.

"My father bowled in the basement alley growing up. My middle school graduation dance was held in the beautiful ballroom. My neighbor's 90th birthday was celebrated in the a beautiful wooden dining room with little elf decorations painted on the walls in unexpected places," one Brooklynite, Megan Mitchell, wrote. "...It would be a shame for the Grand Prospect Hall to be demolished."

Find the petition here.