Slave-Theater

The son of the man who used to be the caretaker for the storied Slave Theater at 1215 Fulton Street in Bed Stuy, who claims to be the rightful heir to the property but lost a court case contesting its ownership, has prevented the new owner, an LLC, from taking soil samples and plans to tear down any fence erected to keep him out, according to a story in the Brooklyn Eagle.

Meanwhile, the LLC has amassed two other sites adjacent to the Slave Theater, said another story in the Eagle. The developer has not said publicly what it plans to do with the sites, but a mixed-use apartment development seems likely. Most important, plans to restore and continue the Afrocentric theater’s mission in a new form are, surprisingly, not dead. 

The New Brooklyn Theater, which tried to buy the property last year and has since gone on to stage several well-regarded productions concerning gentrification, race and other issues in Brooklyn, says the developer told the theater company it plans a theater on the bottom two floors of 1215 Fulton with an apartment above and it wants New Brooklyn Theater to occupy and run the arts space. The LLC bought 1215 Fulton Street last year for $2,100,000.

It also bought a vacant lot behind the theater at 10 Halsey Street for only $100,000 and another adjacent property, a health care building, at 16-18 Halsey Street for $2,950,000. Altogether, the three sites have a total of 179,340 buildable square feet. None have a residential certificate of occupancy.

As it happens, one of the partners in the LLC that now owns the Slave, Jacky Bain, owns 181 President Street, which we reported on yesterday, where he is replacing a one-story garage with a four-story single-family house.

Showdown Looming Over the Slave Theater in Bed Stuy [Brooklyn Eagle]
Bed Stuy’s Slave Theater Development Site Is Bigger Than You Think [Brooklyn Eagle]
Slave Theater Coverage [Brownstoner]

Photo: Hobo Matt


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