Monday, March 24, 2025
Roughly 200 Franklin Square community members, including leaders of civic associations, places of worship and the school district, attended a revitalization meeting for the hamlet on Oct. 17. There, neighbors and community leaders advocated for the preservation of the downtown area.
The meeting, organized by the Franklin Square Historical Society, brought neighbors together to come up with ideas to help the community thrive.
Paul van Wie, Franklin Square’s historian, and several other residents advocated for investing in the hamlet’s downtown area. Van Wie said that the downtown has an “old-school, friendly feel” to it that people of all generations have loved. Many of the buildings there were erected in the 1920s, he added.
“Those buildings are really, really significant, and they have value — not only because of their age, but because of their architecture,” van Wie said.
Plattduetsche Park, Krauss Funeral Home, St. Catherine of Sienna Church and Hoffman Street are just a few of the architectural gems that van Wie believes “make Franklin Square Franklin Square.” “The downtown, we can say, is the cultural, economic anchor of our community,” he said. “It is the center of our identity.”
He believes that the downtown area should receive recognition as the center of community life and for its historic importance. But preserving the area is something that van Wie said neighbors would have to work with elected officials to accomplish.
“We can’t do this ourselves,” he said. “We need the people in our government who know where we have the money and what’s going to fly and what’s going to work.”
The proposed preservation and revitalization of the hamlet is something van Wie said must be a “win-win” for everyone in the community, from property owners on Hempstead Turnpike to local merchants.
MaryAnne Grey, executive director of the Franklin Square Civic Association, offered recommendations for strengthening and improving the downtown to help it transition into the 21st century. She proposed that underutilized buildings be repurposed and renovated for senior housing.
“There are many residents that have lived in Franklin Square for many, many years who would like to downsize without leaving the area,” Grey said. The downtown’s walkability, with shops, restaurants, places of worship and public transportation, would be appealing to seniors, Grey believes.
The Franklin Square Theater is another community fixture that neighbors say should be restored for communal use. The Franklin Square Civic Association advocated making the building a Town of Hempstead historical landmark in 2019.
Darren Boerckel, owner of Outrlimits Art Studio in Franklin Square, toured the theater in 2022, and said that it is currently in a state of disrepair. The civic association has expressed its concerns about the building, and Boerckel would like to purchase it with another investor to make the theater a cultural and community center. He is still looking, however, for another investor to take the leap.
“It’s gaining momentum, but we still need the final push,” Boerckel said.
The theater is something he believes would be a win-win for the community.
Grey also proposed renovating unused building and turning them into exhibition spaces or art galleries. Another story could be added to the buildings, she said, as artists’ lofts or studio spaces, and the roofs converted to gardens to grow crops for local consumption and “reconnect Franklin Square to its farming heritage,” Grey said.
To support the downtown, she proposed that an underground parking facility be constructed to mitigate traffic on Hempstead Turnpike.
Her final recommendation was that a park-like square be built where restaurants, businesses and neighbors could gather.
“These are suggestions that are moderate, and they can be accomplished if we make these changes,” Grey said. “Preserving the good that we have and bringing us into the 21st century, we can make Franklin Square a place that we can all be proud of.”
Meeting attendees were encouraged to join committees to research ways that neighbors can advocate for these changes.
“The only thing you need to truly transform your community is relentless, incremental improvements,” van Wie said. “Meaning, this is going to take some time, but it’s worth studying and getting into to see if we can make this work for everybody involved.”
