Inside Patchogue's Carnegie Library, built in 1905, are, from left,...

Inside Patchogue's Carnegie Library, built in 1905, are, from left, Deputy Mayor Jack Krieger, left, Mayor Paul Pontieri Jr., Trustee William Hilton and Tritec chief operating officer Robert Loscalzo. (Oct. 25, 2011) Credit: Jessica Rotkiewicz, 2011

Alyson Roselle says demolishing the 1905-built Carnegie Library on Patchogue's Lake Street would mean the loss of a treasure and constitute a crime against the village's history.

"It's a gem of a building, and we can't allow it to be destroyed," said Roselle, vice president of the Greater Patchogue Historical Society, of the structure, which is one of two of its kind on Long Island.

Village officials say Roselle and other preservation advocates -- who have pressured Patchogue to save the library in recent weeks -- will get their wish.

A builder, who says the library stands in the way of his $100 million Patchogue New Village mixed-use development, has agreed to pay to relocate the 2,500-square-foot building to a nearby site, said representatives for the village and the company, Tritec.

Patchogue must supply the land, which has not yet been located, and Tritec will pay to move the library and build a foundation, officials said. The building, which has been shuttered for about a decade, could become a public space or be sold to a private investor, said Mayor Paul Pontieri.

The library -- one of hundreds in the country funded by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, builder of Carnegie Hall -- hasn't served as a library in more than 30 years, and has suffered from neglect and been a target of graffiti. The weathered building was last used by Briarcliffe College, which has a logo emblazoned on the side of the structure despite having moved out years ago.

But demolishing the library "is the ultimate last option, if it is an option at all," said Jack Krieger, Patchogue's deputy mayor.

"Everyone is on board with saving the library," Krieger said.

The library, located across the street from the Patchogue Fire Department near the village's central business district, is one of two remaining Carnegie libraries on Long Island. The other is in Northport.

Carnegie built 1,689 libraries in the U.S. between 1883 and 1929, and more than 120 have been demolished, said Nancy Tinker, a senior field officer with the National Trust For Historic Preservation. The buildings are significant because they are part of Carnegie's philanthropic legacy, Tinker said.

"What Carnegie did is put books in the hands of everyday people," she said.

Patchogue New Village, approved by the village in March, could be complete in spring 2014, said Robert Loscalzo, the company's chief operating officer. The project includes 17,000 square feet of office space, 45,000 square feet of retail space and 291 apartments.

Loscalzo said the company sympathizes with residents' desire the keep the library.

"There is a lot of sentimental value to the residents of Patchogue," Loscalzo said.

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