The Malverne Public Library offers residents and visitors hands-on, friendly service, interesting programs and a diverse collection of resources. The library was founded in a storefront located on Hempstead Avenue in 1929, but moved to its current location, across from Downing Elementary School, 25 years later. In addition to borrowing print and audio books, CDs, videos and DVDs, library cardholders can access e-books, download mp3 files and access several databases and learning tools from their home computers through the library's Website.
The library was also one of the first in the area to begin offering video game rentals. Children, teens and adults can participate in reading groups, educational programs, exercise classes, volunteer projects and social events. The librarians also film a 30-minute television series that runs monthly on the Malverne channel (Cablevision Channel 18 and Verizon Channel 30) called Page Turners, during which they recommend and review new books. You can also connect with the library through its Facebook pages-"Malverne Public Library" and "Malverne Public Library Youth Services. "
In 1953, 56 residents signed the charter and purchased a plot of land on the corner of Norwood and Hempstead Avenues to create the Malverne Jewish Center. Construction commenced in 1954 and in the meantime, the first Sabbath services were held in the American Legion Hall and larger holiday services took place in a nearby church. The congregation moved into its permanent home in 1955. The congregation is known for allowing both men and women to participate in services. Throughout the year, the center holds religious services and educational and cultural programs. It also arranges trips to museums and musical performances, and coordinates service projects including a food drive. In 2010, the center sold the building on Norwood Avenue to The Bridge Church of the Nazarene, since much of the space had been underutilized in recent years by the center's small congregation. The Malverne Jewish Center will continue to worship in a portion of the building they are leasing from the church.
This American Legion is located on a busy street. It has a clean and neat appearance both inside and out, with friendly and helpful staff. There is space available for parties. this establishment comes highly reccommended from people who have used it before. They are willing to accomodate any customer.
The Community Presbyterian Church is the oldest institution in Malverne. Two families founded the church in 1917, years before the village was incorporated. In the decades that followed, the congregation became split over whether to cling to its independent roots or become affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, but ultimately the two sides came together. They decided to re-incorporate it in 1933, under the name Community Presbyterian Church of Malverne.
The church played an integral part in starting a recycling program in the village in the 1970s and continues to remain active in the community. Each spring, it hosts a large annual food drive throughout the neighborhood. The church building also houses a thrift shop, a nursery school and a Sunday School for people of all ages.
Our Lady of Lourdes Church is almost as old as the incorporated village of Malverne itself. For several years, Catholic families in Malverne did not have a church of their own, forcing them to attend mass in neighboring communities until a development company set their sights on the small village. The company felt the biggest drawback to its plan to erect some 200 homes in the village was the lack of a Catholic Church and it offered a free plot of land to the Bishop of Brooklyn to build a church in the village. In 1926, Our Lady of Lourdes was established, and the first mass was held in a tent as construction of the church building would not be complete until 1928. Since then the church has been able to preserve its unique and quaint appearance while also making small improvements including the addition of an elevator for handicapped parishioners. In addition to prayer services, the church has a vibrant and active youth ministry group, choir programs and youth athletic leagues.
Five families from St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Brooklyn moved to Malverne and founded Grace Lutheran Church in 1930. The first services were held in the Malverne Fire House and the Rider Apartment Building. Six years later, the congregation purchased a church building on the corner of Stuart Avenue and Oxford Street from the Presbyterians. They worshipped there for over a decade, but as membership neared the 300 mark, decided to expand. The plot of land on Hempstead Avenue, where the church stands today, was purchased in 1948. The new church was dedicated on June 8, 1952. Today, about 250 members worship at the church, which is considered an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregation. In 2010, Grace Lutheran welcomed a new pastor, Wes Poole of South Carolina.
The Malverne Historical & Preservation Society was founded in 1986 by Keith Rossein. The Society opened the Joseph L. Landers Memorial Restoration in 1996 to showcase artifacts from the village's past. The purchase of the home, which dates back to 1854, was made possible by Mrs. Jeanne L. Landers, who made a generous donation to the Society. The house was named after her late husband, Joseph, a Malverne resident of 43 years who was very active in the village.
Inside, the home has been restored to reflect what a house in Malverne would have looked like in the early 1900s. There are also areas dedicated to certain aspects of Malverne's past, including a room honoring residents who served in the armed forces and a wall highlighting celebrities who have called the village home.
The house also has a research library with books chronicling the history of every organization that has every existed here. The Historical Society does not charge admission to visit the house, but does accept donations and sells items in its small gift shop. The building is also available for group tours and private parties, and the Society holds special events there throughout the year.