Jennifer H. Cunningham
The current state of Rex Hall, a former banquet hall a local nonprofit hopes to transform into an arts and entertainment performance center.
A Bronx nonprofit has mounted a push to transform a historic banquet hall in Little Italy into an arts haven.
The Belmont Society of Arts & Culture envisions E. 187th Street’s Rex Hall as a cultural hub for Bronx residents, complete with cinema hall, theater space and arts programs.
“It’s a platform for new voices, new artists — whether it’s film, whether it’s theater,” said artistic director Anton Evangelista of the proposed Arthur Avenue Performing Arts Center. “And it’s right in the heart of the neighborhood.”
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: Jennifer H. Cunningham
Original period details, like this tin ceiling, remain at Rex Hall, a historic banquet hall a local nonprofit hope to transform into an arts and entertainment center.
The hall, in the shadow of Arthur Avenue, boasts 4,000 square feet of space and original period details — but it needs major work. The venue doesn’t have air conditioning or heating, and it needs a new stage, floors and lighting.
The group just spearheaded a crowdfunding initiative on Rockethub.com to raise $ 25,000 to get the project rolling.
“We want to be a mini Lincoln Center,” said Frank Franz, executive director of the Belmont Business Improvement District, which rents the space. “We want to offer a voice to new artists and new ideas. It’s an incubator.”
For decades, Rex Hall was the go-to destination for local Italian-Americans to host parties, but the space fell into disrepair, languishing for years before students from Fordham University began holding events there.
jcunningham@nydailynews.com
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