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It seemed half of Patchogue — and a significant chunk of Suffolk County — shed a tear last week when the shuttered Mediterranean Manor was demolished to make way for a $40 million apartment complex.
Images of the rubble pile showing the former catering hall’s giant sign, somehow still intact and angled awkwardly on the ground, stirred a flood of emotions from locals.
They reminisced about past proms, weddings, Sweet 16’s, bar mitzvahs and New Year’s Eve parties at what was a Main Street mainstay for more than five decades. When GreaterLongIsland.com posted an image of the demolition on its Facebook page, hundreds and hundreds of readers expressed their condolences.
“What a terrible 
thing that was a beautiful place went to weddings and parties there I’m very sad,” Ronnie Arata commented underneath the post.
Maria Zervos added, “There goes another great childhood memory gone.”
So many Long Islanders have a soft spot for the Mediterranean Manor. Notably Lori Nicosia, who wrote:
“I got married there back in the early 90’s and had my daughters communion party there. So very sad to see. Such memories. Hopefully the apartments will be affordable.”
For Casey Kuhns Patton, the Patchogue party place was “perfect.”
“Sad I had my wedding and reception in their beautiful outdoor garden area,” she noted.
Celine Rousseau caused at least one Facebook user to “choke” on their coffee and laugh when she commented, “I got married there in 1986 that marriage crashed and burned just like this building.”
Equally as amusing was this post about a Mediterranean union that also eventually crashed and burned.
“Ahhh just like my marriage. I remember standing right under there,” wrote Alexis Ann, alluding to the venue’s sign, “trying to stop my husband from taking the limo driver out of his car so he could drive away with it to find the person who started a brawl at our wedding LOL
“
WBAB says good-bye to the manor
Even Long Island staple WBAB-102.3 weighed in on the gloom, lamenting in an Instagram post: “Tonight we wish a fond farewell to the Mediterranean Manor in Patchogue, another Long Island venue that’s gone away.”
The rock-and-roll radio station held its annual contractor appreciation party there.
Her first job
“My first job was here, after coming back to Long Island from college,” Rebecca O’Neill commented on GreaterLongIsland.com’s Facebook post. “They hosted five of my family’s weddings. And my mom and dad trusted them to take over cooking for Thanksgiving for a family of 29 after they could no longer do it.”
Kristin Kelly tagged several of her pals in this comment: “even with it demolished, the slap heard around the world can still be heard. Feels like just yesterday that Annie was dancing to lean on me where the rubble now lies
“
And finally, Valerie Maselli took a crack at putting things in perspective.
“Catering halls are a thing of the past because families are not as large as they once were and many spread to other states … There’s a lot of job chasing and Affordable living chasing across the board,” she commented on a GreaterPatchogue.com post about the demolition.
“Small families don’t need large venues and that industry is slowly drying up. Most people want the past back, but unless society shifts their spending habits this is the trend.”
