Former Library Building in Contract to be Sold

By Andrea Halpern

Lessing's Inc., a family owned company which owns restaurants and operates banquet facilities throughout Long Island, is in contract to buy the former library building on the corner of Main Street in Farmingdale.

If the deal goes through, the company plans to keep the exterior architecture of the building as it is and open a casual themed restaurant on the premises. "We would preserve the architecture of the building," said John Lessing Jr., vice-president of the company, noting that the theme of the restaurant would be based on the old library architecture.

The company owns a restaurant called the Post Office Cafe, located in Babylon, which is in a former U.S. Post Office building. The original architecture of this building was retained. It features eagle statues on its exterior. Another of the company's themed restaurants includes the Bulldog Grill in Amityville, which is named after a brass bulldog that is featured inside the establishment.

Lessing noted the company is familiar with Farmingdale because it operates a catering hall at the Bethpage Clubhouse at Bethpage State Park. "We drive through it all the time. It's an attractive town. It's got that small village feeling like Babylon does," he said.

The restaurant at the library building would likely seat approximately 90 to 100 people, and some seating would be upstairs, according to Lessing.

Although some local restaurant owners expressed concern at a Farmingdale Village Board meeting Tuesday about the new cafe possibly moving in, Paul Gatto, a library board trustee who also owns an art gallery on Main Street, said the new establishment could only have a positive effect on the village. "I see it as being very optimistic," he said. Some of the restaurant owners' concerns included parking and increased competition. However, Gatto noted that there are enough parking spaces to accommodate the additional business, and that the restaurant would draw more customers to the Main Street business district. He added that he hopes that the contract for sale turns into a sale. "If it goes through, it should be an attractive setup," he said.