So long, Savini’s

Part 1 of a series.

Though he lives in Suffolk County and works mostly in Manhattan, Michael Savini has always made an effort to drive along East Meadow Avenue, even when it may not have been the most convenient route.

He passed the shops, homes and streetlights that dot East Meadow’s downtown thoroughfare. But his main focus was the building once owned by his father, Danny Savini — a former catering hall.

The hall, Savini’s Crystalbrook, was a landmark of sorts. It hosted thousands of celebrations, including weddings, christenings and bar mitzvahs.

During a drive down East Meadow Avenue last month, Michael Savini discovered that memories were now all that remained of the hall: It had been reduced to fenced-in rubble. “As I was looking at this rubble, I was identifying things from way back,” said Savini, adding that he recognized remnants of the bridal entrance. “It’s sad that it’s gone.”

The property, on the corner of East Meadow Avenue and Adelaide Court, has changed hands a few times since the Savinis sold the Crystalbrook to another caterer in 1995. For several years before the building was demolished, it housed a furniture store that was open to the public on a seasonal basis.

Now, plans call for a new shopping center at the site, including a one-story, 6,764-square-foot complex and 20 parking spaces for a maximum of seven businesses. The project, approved by the Town of Hempstead, could include retail stores, offices and restaurants.

The property is owned by Saeed Ahmed of Syosset, a commercial property owner. Richard Bivone, a longtime East Meadow business owner and community leader, is a development consultant for the project. A past president of the East Meadow and Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce, Bivone explained that the shopping center would transform a site that was in poor shape, and should provide an economic boost to the area.

“This will create economic development for East Meadow,” he said. “It’s good for the community, good for the tax base.”