"This building really is only 11,000 square feet, but how this really has played out is that every space is flexible and feels bigger than it is." That is how director Mike Morea described the new Gold Coast Public Library to Newsday in April, a few weeks after it opened at 146 Glen Head Road.
This is the building's first full fall, and Morea's phrase "every space is flexible" sums up what changed. For two decades the books had a home on Railroad Avenue, but the meetings, concerts and club nights mostly did not. The library rented a second building for that. That rent is gone, and the fall calendar now relies on one large room the library owns.
Two Buildings on Railroad Avenue, Neither Big Enough
The Gold Coast Library was founded in 2005 at 50 Railroad Ave. That building had 4,400 square feet, so the library also rented 40 Railroad Ave. for meetings. Morea told Newsday the rent was about $100,000 a year and called it a financial drain.
When the Long Island Herald covered the 2023 groundbreaking, it called the old building the smallest library in the county. It also reported that the board started looking for a central site back in 2014, with more room for events and parking as the main goals.
Here is how the old setup compares with the new one:
| Railroad Avenue era | 146 Glen Head Road | |
|---|---|---|
| Main building | 4,400 sq. ft. at 50 Railroad Ave. | 11,000 sq. ft., all on one floor |
| Meeting space | Rented at 40 Railroad Ave., about $100,000 a year | Owned on site: a community room for 100+ that divides in two, plus conference rooms |
| New spaces | Glassed-in meeting rooms, a teen study lounge and a separate children's program room | |
| Site | Railroad Avenue near the station | 2.6 acres bought for $2.25 million |
Getting there took a while. Voters approved a $10.8 million borrowing referendum in December 2020. In May 2025, Newsday reported the cost had grown from an initial $11.3 million to about $12 million, with the library putting in roughly $500,000 itself. Construction started in September 2023. Morea later told Newsday that permitting took longer than he expected, which pushed back the opening. The board also voted to sell the 50 Railroad Ave. building for $925,000.
A Room the Community Already Uses
The doors opened Friday, March 20. Morea told Newsday that about 400 people came in that first day, more than the old building could have handled. The ribbon cutting followed on Saturday, May 2. The Herald reported more than 100 attendees. Board president Nancy Benchimol spoke about the library's history, and Nassau Library System director Caroline Ashby called the building the district's "forever home." U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi spoke, and Girl Scout Troop 43 served as color guard.
Local groups started using the meeting space quickly. George Pombar, president of the Glen Head/Glenwood Landing Civic Council, told Newsday the council had already met at the library within days of opening. Barbara Schmidt, treasurer of the Glen Garden Club of Glen Head, said the club would start holding its meetings there in September. The library's September board minutes list a Chuck Lavine town hall on September 17 and a North Shore Community Fair on September 22. They also include the director's report that "the library is full of activities at all times."
The library is the same institution it was on Railroad Avenue. The difference is that groups which once met in a rented building down the street can now book a room the library owns.
What's on the Calendar From Now Through December
The fall programs include concerts, a fundraiser and screenings, the kind of evening events that used to depend on rented space. Here are the remaining dates from the library's fall newsletter and online calendar:
- Friday, October 23, 7 p.m.: The Friends of the Library Bingo fundraiser, with prizes, music, food and drinks. Admission is $20 at the door, cash or Venmo.
- Saturday, October 24: Family pumpkin decorating, in three sessions. Bring one pumpkin per child.
- Thursday, October 29, 8 p.m.: Spooky Trivia for teens.
- Friday, October 30, 10 a.m.: Spooky storytime for ages 2 to 5. Costumes are encouraged.
- Sunday, November 8, 2 to 3 p.m.: A folk-blues concert by Tal Naccarato.
- Friday, November 20, 6:30 to 10 p.m.: A special screening of The Odyssey.
- Wednesdays, December 2 and 16, 6:30 p.m.: Ceramic gingerbread-house sessions.
The fall season also brought back Sunday concerts, starting with "Six Songs: The Eagles" by the Arlington Drive Band in late September and an Island Winds Chamber Ensemble concert in early October. Sunday afternoon concerts depend on Sunday hours, and those are seasonal. The library posts fall hours of Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. It closes on Sundays from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.
Younger families also have a new outdoor space. The Stroller Parking & Reading Garden is a covered outdoor space where strollers stay dry during storytime. You can enter through the open gate from the lot nearest Glen Head Road, or from inside through the Children's Program Room when that room isn't in use.
The Work That Remains Is Mostly Outside
At the March opening, the library said signage, landscaping, audiovisual equipment and public computers were still in progress, and it asked patrons to be patient. Most of the interior work has moved ahead since then. In May the board was still working through punch-list items and approved acoustic tiles for the conference room. At the September meeting, Morea showed the board the new meeting-room screens and shades. The minutes also say the library is still working with the contractor, Stalco, to finish the punch list, and the board agreed to put off work on a dumbwaiter. In August, the board was seeking state construction aid for sidewalk work.
The newest open item has to do with getting to the building rather than the building itself. The president's report in the September minutes describes a meeting with civic leaders and Nassau County officials about traffic on Glen Head Road, and about a crosswalk and signage to keep library patrons safe. Engineering firm H2M is also involved. Board meetings are where that work gets reported, and the minutes are posted on the library's website.
The next chance to see the community room full is bingo night on Friday, October 23. It costs $20 at the door and starts at 7 p.m. at 146 Glen Head Road.
Libraries, parks and community rooms often shape what living on a block is like. If you'd like to talk about Glen Head and the places that make it home, Joanne Hantzopoulos is happy to share what she knows from years of working on the North Shore. Let's Connect.