Among the oldest and most historic bars in the country, Neir's Tavern is located in the Woodhaven section of Queens in New York City, near the Brooklyn border. Over 180 years old, it is one of the few old drinking establishments that have been in almost continuous operation (Prohibition notwithstanding) and in the same location, for its entire history. Neir's is known as the tavern where Mae West first performed, where actors such as W.C. Fields and businessmen like Fred Trump (Donald's father) would gather for a drink. It has also gained fame as the bar in which the classic Martin Scorsese film, Goodfellas, starring Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco, was filmed. Recently Tower Heist (fall 2011) movie starring Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Tea Leoni & Alan Alda was filmed here.
Neir's was founded in October 1829 as "The Blue Pump Room", by Cadwallader R. Colden, the manager of the famed Union Course Race Track that was then across the street. Colden was the "black sheep" of a distinguished family. His great-grandfather, Cadwallader Colden, was the former lieutenant governor and acting governor of New York and a historian, scientist and philosopher. His cousin, Cadwallader D. Colden, was the mayor of New York City and a Congressman. In 1835, The Blue Pump Room was renamed "The Old Abbey". As the fortunes of the Union Course Race Track declined, The Old Abbey gained a reputation as a "notorious rumseller" that catered to the crowds of "black legs, thieves, housebreakers [and] fighting men" that were going to the races.
In 1851 The Old Abbey was purchased by Nathan F. Graves, a distinguished politician and banker, who cleaned it up and kept it for almost 40 years. When the race track closed down, the tavern was bought in 1898 by Louis Neir. He expanded it by adding a ballroom, a bowling alley, and rooms upstairs for a hotel, and he called it "Neir's Social Hall". The Neir family eventually sold the place in 1967 and it then became "The Union Course Tavern". In 2009, the tavern was closed for eight months for restoration, including refinishing the 150-year old mahogany bar and fixtures, and has re-opened once again, as Neir's.
