Flashback Friday: When The Grand Prospect Hall Burned Down In 1900

You’ve seen the beloved commercials, “We make your dreams come true. The Grand Prospect Hall.” Did you know, though, that the hall standing today is not the original?

The original — called Prospect Hall — was built in 1892 by John Kolle. The building was destroyed by a fire on December 11, 1900.

Read the full account by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle here.

Despite the enormity of the damage, Kolle was insistent on rebuilding, and set out to make the New Prospect Hall even better than the last. After a great deal of grumbling between architects and building commissioners (some things never change), the new plans were finally approved on July 13, 1901.

Today, the hall is owned by Michael and Alice Halkias, who renovated the building in 1983. It stands at 263 Prospect Avenue, as a towering reminder of the opulence, and romance of days gone by.

But the excitement hasn’t ended. In 2016, the bronies just love the place!

Additional reporting by Donny Levit.