You are reading

Owner of Historic Neir’s Tavern in Woodhaven Signs Five-Year Lease

Owner of Neir’s Tavern Loycent Gordon was joined by Mayor Bill de Blasio and other elected officials at a lease signing Thursday (Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)

Oct. 30, 2020 By Allie Griffin

The owner of the historic Neir’s Tavern signed a five-year lease Thursday, securing its place for years to come after the 191-year-old bar nearly shuttered in January.

Owner Loycent Gordon signed the five-year lease agreement for the establishment at 87-48 78th St. with landlords Ken and Henry Shi.

The lease signing comes after the reported “oldest bar in New York City” almost closed down when Gordon and the landlords couldn’t come to an agreement over a new lease deal in January. Gordon had said he couldn’t afford the rent increase at the time.

The beloved bar was saved by a “handshake agreement” that same month when the Queens Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Bill de Blasio and other elected officials stepped in to help.

De Blasio, President of the Queens Chamber Thomas Grech, Council Member Robert Holden and Assembly Member Mike Miller all joined Gordon at the lease signing Thursday.

“Neir’s Tavern is here after almost 200 years,” de Blasio said. “Neir’s Tavern is here because of [Loycent], because of everyone who loves this place — you kept it going.”

The five-year lease agreement has an option to renew it for another five years when it is up.

The bar first opened in 1829 as the Blue Pump Room before being renamed Neir’s Tavern in 1898. It was featured in a few scenes from popular film “Goodfellas” and in an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown.”

email the author: [email protected]

2 Comments

Click for Comments 

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Op-ed | Queens-based faith leaders: Climate crisis is the moral crisis of our time

Mar. 21, 2024 By Imam Muhammed Shahidullah and Rev. Jeffrey Courter

As we approach another sure-to-be sweltering and storm-drenched summer due to the continued warming of the planet, it is time to take decisive, bold action for climate justice here in NYC. As residents of Queens, we know all too well the havoc of climate destruction. Not even two years ago, eleven people in our borough were killed by flooding from Hurricane Ida. And, we’re still rebuilding from Hurricane Sandy, over a decade later. The worsening climate and ecological crisis will continue to affect everyone, but mostly the most vulnerable in our communities.