Kickstarter campaign aims to save Slave Theater

There’s a new Kickstarter campaign to buy the Slave Theater in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownstoner reported. The non-profit New Brooklyn Theater is behind the effort and aims to raise $200,000 by early October for a down payment on the building’s purchase. So far, $15,113 has been raised by 66 backers.

The New Brooklyn Theater pledges to restore the crumbling theater, use it as a showplace for Brooklyn artists and sell affordable tickets.

The property, located at 1215 Fulton Street, has a murky ownership history but is currently held by Samuel Boykin. However, a tax lien forced the building into foreclosure and it is scheduled to be auctioned off today. That reportedly inspired the group to launch the fundraising campaign.

The 11,600-square-foot theater has been closed since 1998 and was first put on the market in 2009 for $2.95 million. Recently, Boykin has said that a group of squatters staying in the building were hindering a sales effort, but that group denied it didn’t pay rent.

As of this January, Boykin said the theater could fetch $3 million. [Brownstoner]