Brooklyn is about to get even more stylish. Next year, MakeUp in NewYork will move into the trendy borough’s Park Slope – or more accurately, South Slope – when the show opens on September 7th in its new venue – Grand Prospect Hall.

Grand Prospect Hall is on the edge of Prospect Park. Show organizers say it’s exactly 25 minutes from midtown Manhattan – but check the travel information below. The sixth edition of MakeUp in NewYork will take place September 7th and 8th, 2016, 10 am – 6 pm. 

Benefits of Brooklyn

Last year, visitors lounged on the rooftop deck at MakeUp in NewYork’s chic loft space at Studio 450. But when the show moved to a larger venue this year, visitors complained about the cramped, dark “dungeon” and lack of air conditioning at Penn Plaza Pavillion.

Next year, visitors can expect to be “wowed” by an amazing venue, says the show’s co-manager Jean-Yves Bourgeois. “Imagine a huge building of more than 45.000 sq. ft. consisting of a number of large rooms equally original and offbeat,” he said.

Bourgeois continues, excitedly, “Imagine a garden, multiple terraces, numerous meeting rooms – the whole of it in a perfect atmosphere of conviviality. You really feel at ease and relaxed. A place particularly conducive to business. Once there, no one will want to leave this place.”

Sandra Maguarian, the show’s co-manager, adds that it has been such a challenge to find the right space in New York City. “But this time it’s the right spot!” she says, enthusiastically. 

Maguarian continues, “In a few years’ time, Brooklyn has actually become a fashionable spot…the place to be. The atmosphere is very different from Manhattan…spending a few days in Brooklyn is like being in a vibrant melting pot. Trendy Manhattanites now take a taxi to have a drink and enjoy the bars in Williamsburg or the chic boutiques in the Park Slope area.”

Getting There is Easy – Really

Grand Prospect Hall is located at 263 Prospect Ave., which is between 5th and 6th avenues, three blocks south west of Prospect Park West, and four blocks north of the historic Greenwood Cemetery.

If you’re thinking ahead…getting to Grand Prospect Hall from midtown Manhattan can take anywhere from 25 to 55 minutes, including walking time, depending on which subway you’re on or traffic if you’re in a taxi.

The closest subway station to the venue is 1 block away – the R at Prospect Avenue. Easy if you’re in downtown Manhattan near the R train, but will take a while if you’re coming from midtown.

If you’re near Rockefellar Center, it’s best to take the D or B train and transfer to the R at Atlantic Ave – Barclay’s Center, which is ony a few stops from the venue. The LIRR also stops at Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. (But don’t try to walk down 5th avenue from the Atlantic Avenue subways to avoid transferring to the R – it’s 1.7 miles and will take 35 minutes.)

Here’s another option if you don’t mind a 10-minute walk and prefer a shorter subway ride, without a transfer.

Head to the F train at 7th Ave. & 9th Street. It’s ten short blocks from the venue, and will get you to SoHo’s Broadway-Lafayette subway stop in 15 minutes. The G train also stops here, and will get you to the trendy Williamsburg area in 20 minutes. 

Planning to drive your own car? Grand Prospect Hall has a free parking lot that accommodates 200 vehicles. MakeUp in NewYork will also run mini-bus shuttles from downtown Manhattan.

A Historic Venue

The Grand Prospect Hall was built in 1892 by developer John Kolle who hired architect Ulrich J. Huberty to create this magnificent 4 story, French Renaissance style building. More photos and information are here, at Accord Real Estate Group. The Grand Prospect Hall was the first electrified commercial building in Brooklyn.

The venue has also been turned into a movie set, for films that have included Francis Ford Coppola’s Cotton Club, John Huston’s Prizzi’s Honor and Wes Andersons’s The Royal Tenenbaums.

Photo: copyright 2014 Anna Kader, Accord Real Estate Group