East Patchogue arts center wins $2 million in state funding
Lori Devlin, President of the Patchogue Arts Council; Beth Giacummo, Executive Director of the Patchogue Arts Coucil; and Jessica Valentin, a Patchogue Arts Council Trustee, seen here on Tuesday. Credit: Tom Lambui
State officials have awarded $2 million toward the development of an East Patchogue cultural arts center that officials say is key to revitalizing the hamlet's aging business district.
The funding will help develop the arts center, which is expected to cost $3.5 million, and is part of a larger effort to extend the successful transformation of downtown Patchogue to its next-door neighbor.
The $47 million East Patchogue revitalization will include new housing, offices and retail shops on a quarter-mile stretch from the Patchogue Village line east to Grove and Avery avenues, officials from Brookhaven Town and Suffolk County have said.
The roughly 6,200-square-foot arts center will feature art galleries and possibly spaces for live performances such as poetry readings, said Lori Devlin, president of the nonprofit Patchogue Arts Council, which will manage the facility. The center will be built inside a pair of houses on a one-acre parcel that was purchased by Plainview developer Rechler Equity Partners and will be donated to the town, Devlin said.
Devlin said the arts council will lease the site from the town for "a nominal sum."
East Patchogue residents hope the arts center will do for the hamlet what the 1998 reopening of the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts did for downtown Patchogue, which has since become a template for downtown revitalization.
"This has always been a dream for the community," Brookhaven Councilman Neil Foley, who represents East Patchogue on the town board, said of the arts center.
"We’ve all watched the Village of Patchogue go through this transition," he added. "Now it’s East Patchogue's turn . . . "
Suffolk County has contributed $800,000 to the cost of the center, using federal American Rescue Plan funds, Devlin said.
The arts council hopes to raise additional funds to spend $4 million on the project, "and really be able to build something really beautiful," she added.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, in a statement, called the project "a cornerstone for creativity and education."
Developers involved in the East Patchgoue revitalization plan must donate land or funds for public use in order to qualify for Brookhaven zoning approvals, officials said.
Rechler spokesman David Chauvin said the company plans to start construction next month on a 91-unit Greybarn Patchogue apartment complex on the former site of the Mediterranean Manor catering hall, which has been closed and torn down.
The arts center will be at least partially open by June 2026, and completely finished by the end of 2027, Devlin said.
Devlin said the arts center would fill a need for a downtown art gallery and theater that could attract a wide range of visual artists and performers.
"Right now, there really isn’t much in this local area," said Devlin, who also is the Patchogue village clerk. "You’ve got a few local theaters in Suffolk, but there really isn’t a lot of cutting-edge theater being done."
State officials have awarded $2 million toward the development of an East Patchogue cultural arts center that officials say is key to revitalizing the hamlet's aging business district.
The funding will help develop the arts center, which is expected to cost $3.5 million, and is part of a larger effort to extend the successful transformation of downtown Patchogue to its next-door neighbor.
The $47 million East Patchogue revitalization will include new housing, offices and retail shops on a quarter-mile stretch from the Patchogue Village line east to Grove and Avery avenues, officials from Brookhaven Town and Suffolk County have said.
The roughly 6,200-square-foot arts center will feature art galleries and possibly spaces for live performances such as poetry readings, said Lori Devlin, president of the nonprofit Patchogue Arts Council, which will manage the facility. The center will be built inside a pair of houses on a one-acre parcel that was purchased by Plainview developer Rechler Equity Partners and will be donated to the town, Devlin said.
Devlin said the arts council will lease the site from the town for "a nominal sum."
East Patchogue residents hope the arts center will do for the hamlet what the 1998 reopening of the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts did for downtown Patchogue, which has since become a template for downtown revitalization.
"This has always been a dream for the community," Brookhaven Councilman Neil Foley, who represents East Patchogue on the town board, said of the arts center.
"We’ve all watched the Village of Patchogue go through this transition," he added. "Now it’s East Patchogue's turn . . . "
Suffolk County has contributed $800,000 to the cost of the center, using federal American Rescue Plan funds, Devlin said.
The arts council hopes to raise additional funds to spend $4 million on the project, "and really be able to build something really beautiful," she added.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, in a statement, called the project "a cornerstone for creativity and education."
Developers involved in the East Patchgoue revitalization plan must donate land or funds for public use in order to qualify for Brookhaven zoning approvals, officials said.
Rechler spokesman David Chauvin said the company plans to start construction next month on a 91-unit Greybarn Patchogue apartment complex on the former site of the Mediterranean Manor catering hall, which has been closed and torn down.
The arts center will be at least partially open by June 2026, and completely finished by the end of 2027, Devlin said.
Devlin said the arts center would fill a need for a downtown art gallery and theater that could attract a wide range of visual artists and performers.
"Right now, there really isn’t much in this local area," said Devlin, who also is the Patchogue village clerk. "You’ve got a few local theaters in Suffolk, but there really isn’t a lot of cutting-edge theater being done."
Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.
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