Slave Theater Site Bought By Developer Planning Co-Living Complex

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, BROOKLYN -- The site of the historic Slave Theatre, the former epicenter of African-focused performance art and activism which was torn down in 2017, was purchased by a London developer that plans to build a co-living space.

The Collective, along with Tower Holdings Group, bought the parcel at 1215 Fulton St. for $32.5 million, representatives from the London company announced Friday.

"We acknowledge and do not take lightly the immense significance the site has to the Bedford-Stuyvesant community and beyond," The Collective said in a statement.

"We will develop our proposals with open eyes and ears, and a commitment to ensuring a positive impact for the neighborhood and the people living in it."

Co-living buildings, according to the company's website, provide tenants with a menu of amenities one might expect on a major tech company campus: fully furnished apartments come with cleaning services, wifi, access to a gym, concierge, laundry room, as well as work and event spaces.

Developers promised to develop programming in line with the vision of the Slave Theater's founder, Judge John L. Phillips, who quickly earned a reputation for hosting politically-charged performances and rallies led by some of the nations most powerful political activists.

Phillips died in 2008 and the theater became the center of a legal battle between his estate's administrator, Samuel Boykin, and Phillips' former co-worker who fought to preserve the space, the New York Times reported at the time. But Phillips' estate administrators eventually won control in 2013, and sold the soon-to-be demolished theater.

The Collective development that rises on Fulton Street and Bedford Avenue will include space for "publicly accessible program of events, classes, amenities and experiences focused on culture and the arts," developers stated.

"We are committed to honoring the rich history of the Slave Theater and the legacy of Judge John L. Philipps," The Collective wrote. "We are long-term operators of our projects and will be a part of the Bedford-Stuyvesant community for decades to come."