In 1946 the Village of Hempstead had only "main street" shopping with metered parking. People traveled miles to buy apparel and soft goods from thriving local retailers. By the early 1950's Long Island's population was growing and construction had begun on what was to become the first shopping mall in the United States.

While working at his father’s fruit and vegetable stand on Main Street, a young visionary named Wilbur F. Breslin saw an opportunity that would transform business and community life on the Island. He imagined a place where families would come to purchase everything from groceries to home building supplies, do their banking, shop for clothing and shoes or get together for lunch. A center for commerce, a virtual hub of revenue boosting and family oriented activity.

Wilbur Breslin approached several Mayors in the Village of Hempstead in an effort to convince them that for the Village to survive and prosper, the commercial shopping area had to be demolished and rebuilt from scratch. The parking facilities were obsolete and the shopping areas were in a dilapidated state.

After over thirty years and numerous Mayors, Breslin finally met the man who would help turn his vision into a reality. His name was Mayor James Garner. Because he shared and trusted in Breslin's vision, he would eventually go on to become the President of the United States' Mayor's Association. Along with Mayor Garner, the Honorable Curtis Fisher and others helped Breslin overcome obstacles and achieve his goal.

"Initially, Mayor Garner was as skeptical as the rest, but he reached a point where the village was struggling so badly, that he decided to hear me out."

'The Hub' celebrated its grand opening in February 2002. Where once there wasn’t a single nationally recognized tenant in the Village of Hempstead, there now stands Home Depot, Old Navy, Stop & Shop, Burger King, Chase Bank and many other national and regional retailers.

Perhaps the most amazing statistic, however, is the revenues generated by the new 'Hub'. Where 1.2 million square feet of land had previously generated just $1 million in tax revenue, the current 300,000 square feet now generates $11.1 million in tax revenue. In the next four years that figure is expected to reach $22 million- an incredible transformation of a once blighted area.

It is the hope of Wilbur Breslin that the success of 'The Hub' will set a precedent for future revitalization projects throughout other downtown areas across Long Island.

"I was recently asked what I was most proud of in all of my years in real estate. If I could choose only one project it would probably be "The Hub". It perfectly demonstrates our philosophy of revitalization. Aside from the increased revenues, it has created almost a thousand new jobs, raised the value of real estate and improved the quality of life for the residents of Hempstead. I’m confident that this project will turn out to be one of the most significant in the history of Nassau County and become the catalyst for redevelopment of other decaying downtown areas on Long Island."
WFB