{"id":1869,"date":"2020-02-21T15:30:24","date_gmt":"2020-02-21T20:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/2020\/02\/21\/the-astor-place-riot-10\/"},"modified":"2020-04-21T13:25:53","modified_gmt":"2020-04-21T17:25:53","slug":"neirs-tavern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/2020\/02\/21\/neirs-tavern\/","title":{"rendered":"Neir\u2019s Tavern"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Neir’s Tavern Circa 1898<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Historical Landmark Plaque Outside<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The Infamous Original Doors<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For over 190 years, Neir’s Tavern has been the longest standing bar in all five boroughs.[1]<\/sup><\/a> Founded in 1829, Neir’s Tavern was originally called \u201cThe Blue Pump Room\u201d and sat across the street from The Union Course Racetrack.[2]<\/sup><\/a> Match races between horses from the South against those from the North drew crowds at Union Course as high as 70,000. Several hotels, \u201cincluding the Snedeker Hotel and the Forschback Inn, were built in the area to accommodate the racing crowds, as well as Neir’s Tavern, which remains at 78th Street and 88th Avenue.\u201d[3]<\/sup><\/a> The race course was later home to trotters and then went out of business in 1888, when it was subdivided into streets and building plots. When the\u00a0 racetrack closed in 1888, Louis Neir bought the tavern giving it the name we know it as today.[4]<\/sup><\/a> This was the same year that Queens became a part of New York City.<\/p>\n

Woodhaven and Ozone Park were settled in the 1600s by Dutch and English settlers, who gradually eased out Native Americans; Woodhaven became a racing hotbed in the 1820s when Union Course, at what is now Jamaica Avenue and Woodhaven Blvd. was built. The neighborhood remained mostly white throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.[5]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Mr. Neir expanded the tavern by, \u201cadding a ballroom, the first bowling alley in Queens, and rooms upstairs for a hotel\u2026\u201d[6]<\/sup><\/a> It is said that Mae West, a famous actress, singer, playwright, screenwriter, comedian, and sex symbol, first performed at Neir’s Tavern as a little girl growing up in New York. Local historians believe that the bar even stayed open during prohibition by turning into a speakeasy. It was easy for the Tavern to hide this speakeasy behind the community center that it truly was.<\/p>\n

Neir’s Tavern is on the corner of 78th Street and 88th Avenue, one block south of Jamaica Avenue.[7]<\/sup><\/a> For those not familiar with the neighborhood, Neir’s Tavern is right in the center of the town. Neir’s Tavern has served as a community center for Woodhaven, Queens for the entirety of its existence. As the current owner said, \u201cThis area doesn\u2019t have the money to build their own community center, but they had Neir’s Tavern.\u201d[8]<\/sup><\/a> Neir’s Tavern was the first place to have silent films and a bowling alley in Queens according to local historians.<\/p>\n

As generations grew up, they could count on one constant, having their first drink at Neir’s Tavern. The bar has a long standing tradition surrounding someone\u2019s first legal drink. Drinks on the house and a chorus of \u201cHappy Birthday\u201d in Neir’s Tavern has been a write of passage for Woodhaven residents since the early 1950\u2019s. One family whose home in Woodhaven was established in the late 1800\u2019s, has a lot to say about the infamous tavern. As per James Fenter, playing on Neir’s Tavern softball team was one of the best parts of his 20\u2019s. Something that goes on in Queens is the Bar League. Almost every bar in the borough has a team of regulars that they sponsor to play softball. It is a league for fun as there are no trophies but many people sign up to play. Neir’s Tavern was one of the first bars to join the Bar League according to Mr. Fenter.<\/p>\n

Jeannie Mathis-Halpin is a third generation resident of Woodhaven. When interviewed about Neir’s Tavern, she recounted many fond memories. With Neir’s Tavern as the first bowling alley in the borough, they did not have an automated pin system which allowed for local kids to be hired. \u201cBeing a pin girl in middle and high school was some of the best memories I have of my adolescence,\u201d[9]<\/sup><\/a> Jeannie said in her April 2020 interview. She also recalled a tradition held by the tavern. Each Christmas Eve, families gather there to celebrate as a community. The children go to the upstairs movie theater while the parents drink and socialize in the bar itself. Close to midnight, \u201cwhichever Dad was least drunk put on the Santa costume and we each got a turn to sit on his lap.\u201d [10]<\/sup><\/a> Jeannie\u2019s father and grandfather also put a lot of work into the tavern. Following the fire of 1964, the bar had to be restored. The restoration of the infamous doors was done by Mr. Mathis himself.[11]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

The scene in the 1990 Martin Scorsese film “Goodfellas”, where members of the Mafia showed up after robbing the airport showing off mink coats and pink Cadillacs, took place at Neir’s Tavern located on 78th Street.[12]<\/sup><\/a> Following the shooting of the bar scene, many members of the community had the opportunity to meet stars Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta, and Lorraine Bracco.<\/p>\n

Woodhaven has grown around Neir’s Tavern. As each generation passed through the infamous doors, the legacy of Mr. Neir continued. From its humble beginnings as the home of a race track to being a staple of Queens, Woodhaven has grown exponentially. Now with over 41,000 residents, Woodhaven is still the close knit community that allowed Neir’s Tavern to become the center of community. This area of Queens shows the close knit way of life in Woodhaven. Similar to cultural communities like Little Italy and Chinatown, Woodhaven\u2019s residents are like a family. While race, age, and nationality varies a lot throughout the residents, they maintain a sense of community that has been sadly lost in many parts of New York City.<\/p>\n

Neir’s Tavern has been uniting the residents of Woodhaven since its establishment. With the initial purpose to serve people from the racetracks and the jockeys, Neir’s Tavern became an important feature of the neighborhood. From sponsoring\u00a0 little leagues, to being the site for milestones such as weddings and birthdays, Neir’s Tavern is a part of one\u2019s identity when from Woodhaven<\/p>\n

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Primary Sources:<\/p>\n

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Corey Kilgannon. \u201cAfter 190 Years, the \u2018Most Famous Bar You\u2019ve Never Heard of\u2019 Avoids Last<\/p>\n

Call.\u201d 2020. New York Times. https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/10\/nyregion\/ neirs- tavern- closing.html<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Erin Peitri. \u201cWoodhaven, Queens.\u201d 2007. Forgotten New York.<\/em> https:\/\/forgotten-ny.com<\/p>\n

\/2007\/02\/woodhaven-queens\/<\/p>\n

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Woodhaven Cultural Society. \u201cA Tavern That\u2019s Been a Fixture in Woodhaven Nearly 200 Years:<\/p>\n

Our Neighborhood, the Way it Was.\u201d Queens News and Community.<\/em> https:\/\/qns.com<\/p>\n

\/story\/2019\/01\/05\/a-tavern-thats-been-a-fixture-in-woodhaven-nearly-200-years-our-neighborhood-the-way-it-was\/<\/p>\n

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Woodhaven Cultural Society. \u201cTurn Back the Clock to get a Glimpse of Woodhaven\u2019s Rich<\/p>\n

History.\u201d 2019. Queens News and Community. https:\/\/qns.com\/story\/2016 <\/em><\/p>\n

\/11\/04\/turn-back-clock-get-glimpse-woodhavens-rich-history\/<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Secondary Sources<\/p>\n

Carlotta Mohamed. \u201cWoodhaven Residents Form New Committee to Preserve and Celebrate<\/p>\n

The Oldest Bar in Queens.\u201d 2019. Queens News and Community. https:\/\/qns.com\/story <\/em><\/p>\n

\/2019\/01\/30\/woodhaven-residents-form-new-committee-to-preserve-and-celebrate-the-ol<\/em><\/p>\n

dest-bar-in-queens\/<\/em><\/p>\n

Michael Shain. \u201cAged in the Bottle: Old Pubs.\u201d 2019. Queens Chronicle. https:\/\/www.qchron.<\/p>\n

com\/editions\/queenswide\/aged-in-the-bottle-old-pubs\/article_33b3d19b-9491-53f2-90c0-b888f1fd4b0b.html<\/p>\n

\u201cThe History of Neir’s Tavern Tavern.\u201d 2013. Neir’s Tavern Tavern.<\/em> http:\/\/neirstavern.com\/history\/<\/p>\n

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Victoria Merlino. \u201cDe Blasio Pledges to Help Stop Neir’s Tavern Tavern Closure.\u201d 2020. Queens Daily<\/p>\n

Eagle. https:\/\/queenseagle.com\/all\/de-blasio-pledges-to-help-stop-neirs-tavern-closure<\/p>\n

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Woodhaven Cultural Society. \u201cOldest Bar in New York.\u201d 2010. Project Woodhaven. <\/em><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.projectwoodhaven.com\/2010\/June\/neirs-reopens.html<\/em><\/p>\n

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[1]<\/sup><\/a> Neir’s Tavern<\/p>\n

[2]<\/sup><\/a> Project Woodhaven<\/p>\n

[3]<\/sup><\/a> Project Woodhaven<\/p>\n

[4]<\/sup><\/a> Neir’s Tavern<\/p>\n

[5]<\/sup><\/a> US Census<\/p>\n

[6]<\/sup><\/a> Neirs Tavern<\/p>\n

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[7]<\/sup><\/a> Project Woodhaven<\/p>\n

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[8]<\/sup><\/a> NY Times<\/p>\n

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[9]<\/sup><\/a> Jeannie Mathis Interview<\/p>\n

[10]<\/sup><\/a> Jeannie Mathis Interview<\/p>\n

[11]<\/sup><\/a> Jeannie Mathis Interview<\/p>\n

[12]<\/sup><\/a> Forgotten NY<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For over 190 years, Neir’s Tavern has been the longest standing bar in all five boroughs.[1] Founded in 1829, Neir’s Tavern was originally called \u201cThe Blue Pump Room\u201d and sat across the street from The Union Course Racetrack.[2] Match races between horses from the South against those from the North drew crowds at Union Course …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4746,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-landmarks-and-buildings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4746"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1869"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1869\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2505,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1869\/revisions\/2505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}