..after shaving this morning when I saw the local newspaper sitting on the
ironing board. They tore down the Lace Mill, including the clock tower last
spring and now they want to build an historic replica of the clock tower.
Sounds like local Dysneyfication in full bloom. I can just imagine the new
brick with hard mortar, vynil-clad thermopane windows, and aluminum bronze-
tone roof.

The Lace Mill was located at the West end of Patchogue, a small village
located at about the midpoint of the south shore of Long Island. The red brick
structure stood vacant for decades -- until recently. The Lace Mill
represented the initial industry of the town and, along with proximity to the
Great South Bay, the rationale for the town to have been founded in the first
place. About two years ago I investigated the structures from the point of
view of profiling them as a prime site for adaptive re-use for assisted care
housing for the elderly. There was a developer involved at the time, one in a
series of rejected developers, and we did not pursue the project further. In
my estiamte saving a building has to involve grass roots initiative through
local boosters and unless outside developers align themselves with local
interests they will lose out. The last developer was eventually rejected
through the local political process, despite his having plans to save some of
the structures, and last spring the buildings were leveled.

Though these were factory buildings they were a fine set of factory buildings
and there was a neat clock tower. The Lace Mill served as a physical anchor to
the West end of the village, at the East end of the village is a Caldor's,
McDonalds, and car lots. I did some of my research at the McDonalds, listening
in on the conversations of the elderly who gather there, for lack of more
amenable facilities, and complain that they do not want to move away but can
no longer take care of their houses.

Swezey's is a really neat department store that takes up in the center of town
three (possibly four) separate buildings, not all of them on the same side of
the street. When you go shopping at Swezey's you have the experience of having
to cross the street to move from women's shoes to draperies. Swezey's tends to
hire older women in the community and therefore it is a neat place to meet
local people and get some of the flavor of the native South Shore, as opposed
to the Hamptons experience further east. The service at Swezey's is usually
quite personal and friendly and I will often go there shopping before going to
the more convenient outlet mall on the highway north of town. Swezey's is a
survivor and I cannot quite blame them for wanting a new consolidated building
at one location.

Quotes from Suffolk Life Newspapers, Barbara LaMonica (and, yes, they are
copyrighted)

"The Lace Mill property, at 225 West Main Street in Patchogue, remains the
intended home for Swezey's Department Stores' flagship location ' Before
Swezey's can take title to the property, however, several issues, including
back taxes,' penalties, interest, the clock tower and cleanup, must be
resolved between the Village of Patchogue and Suffolk County.

A replica of the clock tower, for which the more than century-old, and now
demolished, Lace Mill was famous, was included in the village's initial plans
for redevelopment, before it took ownership of the property from Suffolk
County. Estimates to construct the clock tower, as outlined by Suffolk
Legislator Brian Foley (D-Patchogue), have come in at upwards of $100,000.

Last week, village trustees unanimously adopted a resolution which asks
Suffolk County to accept $500,000 as full payment of all outstanding taxes on
the property. Mayor Stephen Keegan (R-Patchogue), said the,village's share of
liability in taxes, interest and penalties for the past three years is
approximately $600,000.

Meanwhile, Foley, who said he had not yet seen the village board's resolution,
reported that there is a "historic connection" in having the clock tower
replicated. "There are three very important items here," he said. "It's a
great mistake that the clock tower was knocked down, and we will negotiate to
make sure the village attempts a faithful reconstruction of the clock tower."

Bill Knapp, president and chief executive officer of Swezey's, told Suffolk
Life that Foley "feels strongly, and suggested that we should reconstruct the
clock tower as close to the original [as possible] and that we give up part of
the property and dedicate it to Green Space."

Swezey's plans to remain in Patchogue, and invest millions into the
construction of a 106,000- sq uare- foot, two-story building, where
merchandise and customer amenities, from most of its Patchogue locations, will
be featured under one modem structure."

I'm compelled to work this scenario into SOS Gab & Eti.

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