14 JULY 1, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Neir’s Tavern to unveil mural encapsulating its history
An artist sketches part of the Neir’s Tavern mural. Courtesy of Neir’s Tavern
at history for our education.”
Neir’s Tavern is located outside the
main entrance of the Union Course
racetrack which was the largest track
in the United States in the early 1800s,
running from Jamaica Avenue to
Atlantic Avenue, from 78th Street to
84th Street.
Neir’s has appeared in blockbuster
fi lms such as “Tower Heist” with Ben
Stiller and Eddie Murphy, and the
Emmy-awarded show “New York Originals.”
Also, many scenes of the classic
“Goodfellas” with Robert DeNiro, Ray
Liotta, Joe Pesci and Lorraine Bracco,
were fi lmed inside the bar.
“Neir’s Tavern has been a place that
it feels like nobody really knows,” Gordon
said. “We have this long history
and it’s yet to be encapsulated in a way
that’s visual and can make sense. We
wanted to make sure people can get
the message with one viewing because
our costumers are the depiction of the
blue-collar, regular person.”
The bar fi rst opened in 1829 but
it has faced some hard times along
the way. In 2009, the establishment
went to decline and was closed before
reopening the next year. Ten years after,
the community came to its rescue
to avoid another closure because of
rising rent.
In 2019, a group of volunteers
created the Neir’s 190 Committee to
preserve and protect the historic bar
and what it represents in the community.
Now, Neir’s 200, a group of loyal
customers, is in place to help with the
celebration of the bar’s 200 years of
existence in Woodhaven.
“Neir’s Tavern is the staple of the
community,” Neirs ambassador and
spokesperson Joanna Fay Leis said.
“It’s a piece of Woodhaven’s history,
it’s a piece of New York’s history. The
mural is something the community
could admire, enjoy and that shows
the history of Neir’s.”
While the exterior of the bar has
changed throughout the years, Neir’s
Tavern is known for its conservative
interior décor. The new mural painted
backstage will add a fresh touch inside
the space that off ers the spotlight to local
artists and diff erent types of events.
Neir’s also has held and continues to
host fundraising events, coat and toy
drives during the holidays as well as
a site for community gatherings. The
bar is mainly family-oriented, with its
usual clientele being between the ages
of 5 and 85, according to Leis.
“I really love going there with my
family,” said Richie Salmon, a Neir’s
Tavern loyal customer for about
10 years. “It’s the description of a
neighborhood bar-restaurant. Neir’s
is somewhere you can go, sit, eat and
meet people.”
According to Gordon, there is no
offi cial date set for the unveiling of
the mural. He said he wanted to show
the world how talented a local artist
can be.
Gordon also expects the mural will
draw more attention to the bar, to
Woodhaven and Queens, especially.
“The hope is that piece brings us new
life, new audience,” Gordon said. “And
our existing audience will spread the
word to help bring more business and
become more sustainable so we can
reach our 200th anniversary.”
BY PAUL JUNIOR PRUDENT
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
Neir’s Tavern, the oldest bar in
Queens, is getting ready to
unveil a new mural painted by
local artist Benny Guerra. The mural
intends to describe the long history of
the bar and its importance, not only in
Woodhaven, but in New York City as a
whole, for nearly 200 years.
In 2019, Neir’s Tavern was about to
close its doors for fi nancial reasons.
Two years later, Neir’s Tavern remains
open and will soon unveil a mural that
describes the collective history of the
bar within the community.
“What we are trying to do is to galvanize
and bring 191 years together in
one visual piece,” said Loycent Gordon,
the bar’s owner. “This one mural sums
up what we been through and will allow
people to capture that and say, ‘Yes,
we get it.’”
Benny Guerra, a muralist with 25
years of experience, designed and
painted the mural that will take up the
backstage of the bar. The mural is fi ve
feet high and 16 feet wide.
Guerra said he was “very excited” to
work on the project when he learned
about Neir’s Tavern’s history.
According to the artist, the mural depicts
time as it moves through history.
The mural portrays horses racing, the
J-train on a track with New York City in
the background and the Neir’s Tavern
billboard hanging with some famous
personalities’ portraits included.
“If you look at the items in the mural,
they correlate with the dates and time,”
Guerra said. “Obviously, history is
gone, but we should always look back
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