Real Estate

Real Estate: A meeting place like none had seen before

Library Hall, pictured in 1905, stood across from the Mattituck train station, at the corner of Westphalia Avenue and Pike Street. (Credit: Mattituck-Laurel Library)
Library Hall, pictured in 1905, stood across from the Mattituck train station, at the corner of Westphalia Avenue and Pike Street. (Credit: Mattituck-Laurel Library)

For 58 years, Library Hall in Mattituck was a hub of activity, a beacon that drew the community and held great personal significance for the scores of residents who spent time there.

For 87-year-old Betty Kalin, the musty and oddly comforting smell of the old books that once lined the turn-of-the-century building’s shelves stands out most in her memory.

“Isn’t that funny?” the Mattituck native said recently, a hint of wistfulness in her voice. “But I loved it.”

To read more of this occasional series about North Fork landmarks that have vanished from our landscape, click here to visit northforker.com.