On hearing the news today, I am not sure where to start … maybe where all great fairy tales begin.
Once upon a time, there was a place on Prospect Avenue between 5th and 6th in Brooklyn.
Originally built in 1892 and redesigned in 1902 by Ulrich J. Huberty – up until today, The Grand Prospect Hall was not only the “largest and best-preserved example of the Victorian assembly hall,” but a place where dreams came true.
The late owner, Michael Halkias had sold all his real estate to purchase the German opera house in 1981. He would “loveling and painstakingly restore” the eccentric ballrooms and over the next 39 years take countless guests on a “magical journey into a fairytale era of utter opulence.”
“Once, a wealthy and cosmopolitan Victorian society held court in this dazzling French Renaissance-style palace.
Experience 1890s glamour, from the moment your guests make their entrance into a soaring gilded and marble lobby that recalls all the splendor of Versailles.
Feast, dance, and romance among ballrooms resplendent with a magnificent art and antiques collection, sparkling chandeliers, fabulous floral displays and rococo detailing.
Your event…will have all the pomp and circumstance and all the lavish spectacle of bygone gentility. Here is where ordinary people come to feel extraordinary, and the famous come to feel like stars…
Photo Courtesy of Steven Rosen
The revelries I experienced at The Grand Prospect Hall will stay with me forever –
Running up marble staircases, twirling under chandeliers, flirting with reflections in mirrored walls, hiding in the back gardens, boisterous cheers in the Oak Room, and the night I was given wings.
It was the evening of the Dances of Vice: Grimm’s Fairytale Ball hosted by enchantress, Shien Lee.
I entered the ballroom in a sheer silver slip and hair curled like a ziegfeld girl.
“Breathe, Just Breathe”
The legendary line from Ever After slipped through my mind as I slowly pulled the silk cords and shimmering diaphanous wings rose above me. I felt like I could fly. The chandeliers became stars and The Grand Prospect Hall had become a castle among the clouds.
The “Da Vinci” who had designed the peacock wings was the wildly talented Veritee Hill. Her wearable art has been worn by Cyndi Lauper, Billy Porter, and Naomi Campbell to name a few.
There are only a few moments of kismet in my life which inspire this feeling of flight.
Only later in the evening, I discovered that in famed television commercials, Mr. and Mrs. Halkais trumped with utmost sincerity, “Let us make your dreams come true!”
There is something to be said of people who believe in the beauty of others’ dreams and although I never had the privilege to meet the couple, I felt the energy they had created permeated that great historic hall…
That evening was a dream come true.
Today I found out that The Grand Prospect Hall had been gutted and the current owner and developer would be demolishing the building in the morning. Mr. Halkais had passed away from complications due to Covid-19 and the building had been sold.
It is devastating that such a place of history and joy could be destroyed. I wish all fairytales could have happy endings.
The only glimmer of a silver lining to this tragedy is the beautiful reveries that The Grand Prospect Hall gave so many including myself
Moments from Dances of Vice Event’s, The Spring Fairytale Ball and The Grimms Fairytale Ball, at The Grand Prospect Hall
Photo courtesy of Jane Kratchovil
*Update: The interior of the building has been demolished, but the facade and exterior currently still remain due to the protest and support from many activists. According to an article from The Real Deal “On Wednesday, a Kings County judge granted a temporary stay preventing local developer Angelo Rigas from demolishing the former Park Slope banquet hall until at least Sept. 16. In the meantime, the activists hope to persuade the Landmarks Preservation Commission to landmark the ballroom, which would complicate, though not rule out, Rigas’ plans.”
Read the full article on The Real Deal: The New York Real Estate News
Sign the Change.org Petition to Save The Grand Prospect Hall
**Update: Per The New York Post, as of February 23, 2022 —”The face of Brooklyn’s beloved Grand Prospect Hall is no more.”
DESIGNS OF VERITEE HILL
DANCES OF VICE
THE GRAND PROSPECT HALL
Photos Courtesy of Jane Kratchoviland Steven Rosen
