DAVIE, Fla. – A South Florida staple for nearly 30 years for celebrations big and small will soon be demolished to make way for a warehouse park.
According to a media release, Signature Grand in Davie has been sold to two companies and there are plans to redevelop the 11.3-acre site.
The site, south of State Road 84 between University Drive and Davie Road, will then become “The Park at Davie,” two buildings that will provide 182,000 square-feet of logistics space.
BBX Logistics Properties and FRP Development Corp announced the acquisition on Monday.
Mark Levy, President of BBX Logistics Properties, told Local 10′s Christina Vazquez he has known the owner of the property, Arlene Pecora, for many years and when she decided to wind down her business, an opportunity came up for his company to acquire the site. Levy said the property checks all the boxes for his customers.
“Our customers are always looking for access to the regional highway networks as well as the ports and airports,” said Levy.
Signature Grand in Davie first opened its doors as a wedding and events venue in 1996. South Floridians have shared their memories on Facebook, from proms to weddings, at the venue since learning about the sale of the site.
“When I look through this building, all I think of is just amazing memories and the fact that it is a South Florida staple. To hear that they are closed it brought a little bit of tear to my eye, because I was so sad it is closed,” said Alicia Jaramillo, daughter of wedding photographer Barry Dreyer.
“So heartbroken over Signature Grand. Feels like I was just married there yesterday. Also had my prom in 07 there, “said Ryan Mackey, who also shared his special moments at the Davie venue.
Local 10 News did reach out to the owner of the Signature Grand to learn more about why she chose to close the business but have yet to hear back. Levy said the new project will be something the community will be proud of.
“We are going to build a state-of-the-art, best-in-class project. This is a project that is going to make the community proud. We have solicited input from the community in terms of design. Our founder is the major benefactor for the Center of Entrepreneurship at NOVA Southeastern University, which is not far from this facility, so we are big believers in Broward County and being part of the community. So, I can assure the residents that this a project they are going to be proud of,” said Levy.
Permanently closed since February, the last post on the Signature Grand Instagram account is a flyer applauding its owner Arlene Pecora for being a History Fort Lauderdale and Galleria Fort Lauderdale “2024 Woman Trailblazer.”
“From my personal experience growing up in the entertainment industry there’s such a saturated market of country clubs, ballrooms specially for this kind of thing and then because of COVID, it just destroyed the whole entertainment industry as a whole and a lot of places have not recovered,” said Jaramillo.
The initial phase of construction is expected to begin in 2024 and set to be completed in 2025.