Photos: Co-Living Space Will Rise Where Slave Theater Once Stood

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, BROOKLYN — Where once stood a bastion of African culture in the heart of Bedford-Stuyvesant, a $260 million co-living development will rise. While developers promised a place that would honor the site's history, renderings of the interior show a place where a white woman lounges as a woman of color stands behind a desk.

The Collective, a London-based developer, will partner with Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto to build a 440-unit co-living space at 1215 Fulton St. slated to open in Bed-Stuy in 2022, owners said.

“I am honored, in particular, to be working in a culturally rich neighborhood like Bed-Stuy, and to reimagine this historic site," said Fujimoto, whose Tokyo and Paris based firm developed the Serpentine Pavilion London and the “l’Arbre Blanc” in Montpellier. "I hope our design will sustain and serve the incredible culture of this community."

The Collective said it would honor the legacy of the Slave Theater with its 240,000-square-foot, three-building structure by incorporating elements of historic Bed-Stuy design — such as a red brick exterior and an entrance marquee — and by hosting an artist residency program and free studio space to six to 10 artists a year.

Bed-Stuy residents will also have access to a public exhibition space, co-working office, restaurant, rooftop bar, and a public interior courtyard on the ground floor accessible through entrances on Halsey and Fulton streets, according to the announcement.

Members — who be able to rent studios or two-three bedroom clusters by the night, month or year — will also enjoy access to a gym and barbecue terrace, The Collective said.

The Slave Theater was founded in 1984 by Judge John L. Phillips who envisioned a space where Bed-Stuy could celebrate its African heritage. The theater hosted politically-charged performances and some of the nations most powerful political activists until it closed in 1998 and was eventually demolished in 2017.

The Collective, founded in 2010, says it represents the world's largest co-living community with nearly $1 billion in funding to expand across the U.S., U.K and continental Europe.

This is The Collective's third New York City property, joining a Long Island City co-living space slated to open in October and a flagship location at 555 Broadway in Williamsburg set to open in 2022.

“As a company, we’re forging a new, value-driven approach to urban living," said The Collective founder and CEO Reza Merchant. "Since Sou is known for his innovative and unique sensitivity to each project’s surroundings, he and his team made a natural partner for 1215 Fulton Street."