Neirs Tavern emerges after struggles to celebrate 195th birthday with help of bar fly ambassadors

At 195 years old, Neir’s Tavern is having a renaissance.The iconic Queens pub is getting ready to mark its milestone anniversary after weathering a rough stretch brought on by skyrocketing rent and a global pandemic — with a little help from a core group of barflies who call themselves “ambassadors.”“Neir’s Tavern is still here,” Loycent Gordon, who has been owner of the Woodhaven tavern for 15 years, told The Post.“The road to 200 begins.We’ve been through so much, we’ve had to pause, we’ve had to pivot … What we’re doing now is coming out of recovery mode and actually start building a new foundation so that Neir’s can reach 200 years and beyond.”Gordon is celebrating the Herculean birthday with a blockbuster party Oct.

5 — which will serve as the launch for his “Road to 200” campaign to carry one of the country’s oldest bars its next milestone birthday.The 195th birthday officially marks a major turning point to a “phase of growth,” and Gordon hopes that will include buying the 78th Street and 88th Avenue corner building the bar has occupied since 1829.The lofty goal would solidify the future of the local slice of history — and is a far cry from what was thought possible for Neir’s even just five years ago.The historic spot was nearly priced out of Woodhaven in January 2020 when its landlord tried to impose rent hikes so outrageous that then-Mayor Bill de Blasio stepped in to broker a deal that bought Gordon another 10 years.The COVID-19 pandemic came just months later and was anticipated to be the storied tavern’s kiss of death — but the resilient saloon managed made it through and transformed into a community hub, ambassadors said.Today it’s nearly unrecognizable from the bar that served as a scenic backdrop for movies like “Goodfellas.”“Neir’s Tavern, when I got here was a very different place, but I felt like it didn’t really reflect the neighborhood, it was a huge disconnect,” said Gordon, who b...