Closing: Brooklyn's Oldest Bar P.J. Hanley's Goes Bankrupt

After 139 years serving pints of Guinness to Carroll Gardens neighbors, P.J. Hanley's will close this Saturday, according to the New York Post.

News that the bar's owner, James McGown, had filed the establishment for Chapter 11 was first reported by Crain's New York Business.

McGown told the Post he blamed bankruptcy in part "on a dispute with the landlord, an entity controlled by Hanley’s heirs. 'They realized the rent was worth more than they were getting paid,' he said."

However, McGown's other business, the South Brooklyn Pizza chainlet filed for bankruptcy itself less than a year ago, suggesting there may be additional financial pressures at work.

McGown, who bought the tavern in 2005 from Hanley’s descendants, told the Post he plans to "auction off the rights to the business — including its lease, assets and trade name — on March 11." The abutting South Brooklyn Pizza parlor will be sold as well.

The pub opened in 1874 as Ryan’s before it was purchased by P.J. Hanley in the 1950s. According to many accounts, the bar retained its neighborhood feel over the years due to having only four owners over the course of its tenancy, including Deborah Hanley who once told New York magazine, “If Uncle John [the previous owner and WWII vet] ever saw us charge a serviceman, he’d turn over in his grave.”

Other fans flocked from across the city due to the bar's lore: After gangster Al Capone was married at St. Mary Star of the Sea down the block, he allegedly held an afterparty at Hanley's.

The bar is also widely known for throwing a gigantic annual St. Patrick's Day bash, complete with pig roast, bands and other entertainment.

How do you feel about this Brooklyn institution closing?