The face of Brooklyn’s beloved Grand Prospect Hall is gone.
Locals watched as the exterior of the iconic wedding venue was ripped off this week, exposing the interior of the building in an almost dollhouse-like mansion.
Area resident, artist and construction advocate Jim Glaser observed on Monday that the face of the 119-year-old structure had been torn off. The Victorian-era building sold for $22.5million last July after the May 2020 death of longtime owner Michael Halkias, who co-starred in the spoofed ‘SNL’ TV ad in which he and his wife Alice stood on the central staircase of the building and said, “We make your dreams come true!
For 35 years, the Halkias family have hosted events in the building, which is slated for demolition to be replaced by high-end housing.
“It’s sad to see the building in such a bad shape,” James Marlow, a Brooklyn resident and lifelong construction fan, told the Post of the current appearance of Grand Prospect Hall. “Sure, it was admittedly fading, but it added such character to what is otherwise a dreary strip overlooking the Prospect Freeway.”
The fact that it is becoming a residential development and not another form of community space, he added, is deeply disappointing.
“I’m sure an adaptive reuse option would have been viable,” the New York native said.
In photos Marlow shared with The Post of the building at sunset in May 2020 – days after Halkias’ death – its fully intact facade shines gold in the fading light. By contrast, Glaser’s photos show that as the sun sets, the building is now gutted and full of internal shadows and a few structural beams.
“The sun is setting on South Park Slope and so much Brooklyn history,” Glaser said of the building’s freshly removed face. “The 130-year legacy of the Grand Prospect Hall sadly comes to an end as tons of rubble are swept away.”
