About Our 2019 Venue

Near the end of the 19th century, Frederick Olmsted, designer of Central Park, had recently completed Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. The west border of the vast green space was where the wealthy, fashionable, and powerful chose to build their elaborate Victorian mansions. The area was named Park Slope and known as Brooklyn’s “gold coast.” It was the age of opulence.

263 Prospect Avenue at 5th Avenue, Brooklyn

Street, lot and valet parking available

The Gay '90s were the golden age of Coney Island’s meteoric rise. The amusement park’s popularity crested in an outrageous display of rides, vaudeville, lights, and laughter.

Entrepreneur John Kolle built GPH as a“temple of music and amusement” in 1892. Prospect Hall was the place for the prominent to parade, celebrate and party. Men in their top hats and tails, women in their jewels and Parisian gowns flocked to the hall by carriage and car to hear presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan orate, opera great Enrico Caruso and silent film star Sophie Tucker graced a 1910 program to name a few.

Grand Prospect Hall continued to attract both the famous and infamous throughout the 20th century. Al Capone frequented the hall’s speakeasy (peephole included) during Prohibition. He reportedly received the facial wound that earned his “Scarface” nickname during a scrap there. Later, Lena Horne would get her teenage start singing at the opera house. Other visiting luminaries included Mae West, Sonja Henie, Bob Hope, Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire.

Always a movie set magnet, in recent years, Gregory Hines tap-danced up and down the grand marble staircase and along the birds-eye maple parquet floors in Francis Ford Coppola’s "Cotton Club." Jack Nicholson eyed Angelica Huston in her balcony perch and waltzed with Kathleen Turner in John Huston’s "Prizzi’s Honor," along with commercials, music videos, fashion shows, fencing tournamentsand dance competitions.

Today, the refurbished Grand Prospect Hall is now a national historic landmark.