In an attempt to breathe life back into underused Canarsie Pier in Brooklyn, the feds are planning to restore a long-shuttered restaurant overlooking Jamaica Bay that once served as a favorite eatery for local mobsters.
At the urging of Reps. Ed Towns and Anthony Weiner, the National Parks Service has started soliciting proposals from parties interested in reviving the rickety, 5,500-square-foot building that was last used in 2002 by Abbracciamento on the Pier. The Italian restaurant, which opened in 1984, was known for hosting various “sit downs” among New York’s Mafia families.
“This is an important first step in ensuring that Canarsie Pier becomes the cultural and recreational hub it once was,” said Weiner, adding he is open to other uses for the building besides a new restaurant. “Brooklyn residents have been waiting far too long for this.”
Originally built in the 1920s, Canarsie Pier was intended as a commercial pier but has mainly been used as a recreational fishing location since it opened. The National Parks Service acquired the pier in 1973 as part of the creation of the Gateway National Recreation Area.