Signature Grand, a longtime special-events destination, to become warehouses in Davie
The Signature Grand, which served as a South Florida landmark for social occasions for nearly three decades, has closed and is expected to be converted into warehouse space.
The Mediterranean-style venue opened in Davie near I-595, chosen as a place with high visibility, and became a go-to spot for special events. It specialized in weddings, as well as corporate events. It was the site of school conventions, job fairs, luncheons, retirement parties, proms, homecomings, rallies, fundraisers and fashion shows.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush made an appearance, and so did his brother when George W. Bush was the governor of Texas. Holocaust survivors used it as an annual gathering place. In 2008, Hillary Clinton swung by for her victory party when she became the Democratic presidential candidate.
Stacy Ritter, president and CEO of Visit Lauderdale, said she remembers the Signature Grand as the place to be for Democrat Party events in the 1990s. “That’s just where you went,” she said.
“Like everything, it had its moment,” she said.
BBX Logistics Properties, out of Fort Lauderdale, and FRP Development Corp, of Jacksonville, announced in a statement that they acquired the Signature Grand and will redevelop the 11.3-acre site into “The Park at Davie.”
It will become two buildings that make up about 182,000 square feet of “logistics space.” The two buildings can be divided into as many as eight different tenants.
The commercial warehouses, intended for businesses to store goods, is in a great spot “to become a pivotal hub for logistics operations in South Florida such as last-mile direct-to-consumer distribution,” according to the statement.
Mark Levy, president of BBX Logistics Properties, said Tuesday the “overarching reason we like this spot” is because of its proximity to the highways, making it a “really strategic location to access the population in South Florida.”
It’s close to the airport and Port Everglades, which are “important pieces of infrastructure in Broward County.”
11-09-01: About 300 people who had joint replacement surgery were invited by their orthopedic doctors to lunch and dancing at the Signature Grand in Davie. Photo shows Mitzi Schoenagle from Sunrise, who had surgery entertains the guests. (Ursula E. Seemann/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
1/29/2008: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton comes to the Signature Grand in Davie just hours after the polls close on the Florida primary. (Robert Duyos/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
3/21/2014: Former Governor Jeb Bush was the keynote speaker at the Broward Workshop at the Signature Grand in Davie. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
2/13/1997: Students dance during the Citywide True Love Waits Rally on Wednesday night at the Signature Grand in Davie. On Valentine’s Day, the students who attended the rally will urge their peers to sign cards pledging to abstain from sex until they marry. (Lou Toman/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The main entryway inside the Signature Grand boasts impressive chandeliers and a fountain flanked by two staircases, mirroring each other, leading up to the second floor offices. (Melissa Lyttle/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Honorees attend the 2012 Hispanic Women of Distinction Gala in the Signature Grand in Davie on Aug. 17, 2012. (Cristobal Herrera/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Holocaust survivors Cecile Mory, 82, and her husband, Geza Krausz, 88, of Hollywood sing Hatikvah, the national anthem of Israel, during Jewish Family Service’s Cafe Europa Luncheon at Signature Grand. More than 900 Holocaust survivors attended the annual luncheon designed to bring together long lost friends and relatives. (Susan Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Rev. Mak Hattabaugh, right, is praying during the celebration of the National Day of Prayer at the Signature Grand in Davie on Thursday May 6, 2010. (Cristobal Herrera/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
1/18/99: South Florida Muslims gather at the Signature Grand in Davie for prayer, this marks the end of Ramadan. (Lou Toman/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Bank Atlantic’s 50th Anniversary and Job Fair at Davie’s Signature Grand. Fernando and Jayline Montas of Davie walk through the site. (Robert Mayer/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
3-8-97: Gov. George W. Bush of Texas is speaking at the Lincoln Day Dinner at the Signature Grand in Davie to local Republicans. In photo next to the Governor is his brother Jeb Bush. (Ursula E. Seemann/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The 2011 honorees of the Hispanic Women of Distinction pose after the Charity Awards Luncheon celebrated at the Signature Grand in Davie on Aug. 12, 2011. (Cristobal Herrera/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
4/30/2003: Davie Fire Rescue vehicles line the driveway of Signature Grand where an apparent murder-suicide of one of its employees took place as Broward County school buses wait to pick up approximately 800 Broward County middle school students who were attending an African American forum. No students were involved in the incident. (Susan Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
5/20/03: The Signature Grand in Davie is getting back to business as usual, as relatives of the two murder-suicide victims last month, say they will be able to work together amicably. May and June is one of the busiest seasons with proms, graduations, proms, weddings and corporate gatherings. Tuesday the Signature Grand was decked out with balloons and a row of cars along St.Rd.84 advertising Bank Atlantic Annual Celebration and Expo. (Ursula E. Seemann/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The fashion show during the 2012 Hispanic Women of Distinction Gala celebration at the Signature Grand in Davie on Aug. 17, 2012. (Cristobal Herrera/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
(left) Select Staffing West Palm Beach Branch Manager Ken Fitzpatrick is surrounded by job seekers giving him their resumes and asking about the 200 job openings they have in Broward alone Wednesday morning at Signature Grand in Davie. In the first 40 minutes of the job fair, 2,000 job seekers walked through the doors looking for work among the 60 employers with at least 1,000 jobs available. (Taimy Alvarez/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Gov. Rick Scott speaks during the Third Annual “State of Our County” forum presented by the Broward Workshop on Friday, March 11, 2011, at the Signature Grand Hotel in Davie. (Amy Beth Bennett, South Florida Sun Sentinel)
George Lemieux introduces Gov. Ron DeSantis during the annual “State of the County” forum sponsored by the Broward Workshop at the Signature Grand in Davie on Friday, March 15, 2019. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
4/29/2015: The presentation of colors during the Boward Sheriff Office annual awards ceremony at the Signature Grand in Davie. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Ms. Latina International Francisca Garcia adjusts her tiara before the Dos Culturas Reunion Cocktail Party at the Signature Grand in Davie on Wednesday, July 19, 2018. (Yutao Chen/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
3/21/2014: Former Governor Jeb Bush was the keynote speaker at the Broward Workshop at the Signature Grand in Davie. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Former Gov. Charlie Crist mingles with the crowd during a Democratic Party fundraiser dinner, Saturday, March 12, 2022, at the Signature Grand in Davie. (Michael Laughlin/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The Signature Grand has been closed since earlier this year, and none of the original building will remain, Levy said. “It’s in the past,” Levy said.
In 2016, then-CEO Arlene Pecora, whose late husband, Michael Pecora, co-founded the Signature Grand, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the destination had hosted more than 12,000 weddings and served more than 2 million people since it opened in 1995.
At the time, the Signature Grand employed more than 300 people, and more than 80 of them had worked there for more than five years.
Their success also made them generous; Signature Grand had donated more than $2 million in cash to nonprofits and also hosted numerous in-kind catered events at no charge, Pecora said in 2016.
Pecora couldn’t be reached for comment by the Sun Sentinel on Tuesday.
The now closed Signature Grand in Davie is shown on Tuesday, July 2, 2024. The South Florida staple for nearly 30 years for celebrations big and small will soon be demolished to make way for a warehouse park. (Amy Beth Bennett / Sun Sentinel)
Corporate events accounted for part of the Signature Grand’s business, and the facility also hosted special events such as bar mitzvahs, quinces and anniversary, graduation and birthday parties.
Michael Pecora, a former temple caterer, and Jerome Berlin, a nationally known Democratic fundraiser, worked together for years to build the Signature Grand, as well as another venue that opened in 1985, Signature Gardens in Kendall in Miami-Dade. The locations were two of the largest banquet centers in South Florida.
In 2003, the Signature Grand was marked by tragedy. In an argument at the venue, Michael Pecora shot his partner, then shot himself in a murder-suicide, police said. After the deaths, the Signature Grand continued to operate.
In the recent years before it closed, many gatherings still were being held there, according to announcements of those events. Fundraisers and charity luncheons were presented, as well as a leadership summit for students, economy-oriented events, and appreciation breakfasts.
Plans ahead
Phillip R. Holste, Davie’s assistant town administrator, said BBX has submitted its site plan, which still has to go to the Planning & Zoning Board for a recommendation and then the Town Council for final approval.
No date has been scheduled yet for the hearings and decisions.
Levy said the first phase of construction is expected later this year, and completion could be in 2025.
Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com. Follow on X, formerly Twitter, @LisaHuriash
