Malverne was originally settled by the Rockaway Indians with the current Ocean Avenue serving as an Indian path.  During the 1790’s, the Cornwell family first settled here and began farming the area.

The spelling of the name was originally Malvern, minus the “e”, but  when the Long Island Rail Road started service here they spelled the name Malverne, with the "e".  Although efforts were made to fix the spelling error, the village changed the name to Malverne which indicated how vital rail service was to villages across the country and how influential their presence was felt.

Malverne’s growth has been credited to two major events – the selling of farm land for development and the Long Island Rail Road.  Currently, there are over 3,000 homes in the village and many residents commute to New York City via the two Long Island Rail Road stations in the village.  These are the Malverne and Westwood stations which are both located on the West Hempstead Branch.

Malverne was home to the original Brown Derby restaurant, which was a favorite place of many vaudevillians. This restaurant precipitated the opening of the more famous Brown Derby in Los Angeles, CA.

A very popular attraction is The Lighting of Malverne which attracts thousands of people from the village and the surrounding communities. This kickoff to the holiday season is held annually on the first Saturday of December.  The entire business district remains dark until the Mayor and the village’s board flip a switch which turns on all of the district’s holiday lighting.

For more information on the community and its events, contact the Village of Malverne

Malverne Village Church

99 Church Street
Malverne, NY  11565
516-599-1200