Pig Beach closed for the last time on December 30, 2023, when the location where Pig Beach BBQ was born was sold to a local Brooklyn developer, Tankhouse, along with their partner, MacArthur Holdings, as part of the Gowanus Rezoning project. By May, it was an empty lot.

They tried everything during the pandemic including sidewalk messages to catch attention.

In the final message still available on pigbeachnyc.com, the love of the uniqueness of this area comes through…

“Speaking of Brooklyn; from our first crazy summer here in 2016 we knew we had something special with Pig Beach. Our team created a family (and dog) friendly home away from home, a go-to neighborhood spot where friends from near and afar could gather to hang and relax over some delicious BBQ and beer. We’ve hosted weddings, bar mitzvahs, marriage proposals, breakups, dancing dragons, brass bands, and Santa Claus. We grieved the tragic loss of our dear friend and chef, Jeff Michner, and celebrated his life with the world’s greatest pitmasters at our side. We became part of the Brooklyn fabric of life, and in turn, it wove itself into ours.

Knowing how much Pig Beach means to the neighborhood (and vice versa), we’ve left the door open with the new landlords to one day reopen Pig Beach in the new 480 Union Street development. We’re staying hopeful those future stars will align — but in the meantime we’re vigorously seeking out a new place in Brooklyn, whether it be temporary or permanent, where we can light up those smokers again.”

The amount of graffiti and murals lost to gentrification is mind boggling. I give eulogies to some of my favorites in Graffiti Gone…The Destruction of Gowanus on southbrooklyn.com, my publishing website.