Old Fulton Street in DUMBO now also carries the name “Patsy and Carol Grimaldi Way,” honoring the couple who began serving coal-fired pizza on the block in 1990. The co-naming was marked this weekend at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, steps from 19 Old Fulton Street, where Patsy Grimaldi runs Juliana’s today.
Key Takeaways
- Old Fulton Street in DUMBO is now also known as Patsy and Carol Grimaldi Way.
- Patsy and Carol Grimaldi opened their first pizzeria at 19 Old Fulton Street in 1990.
- The couple sold that business, including the Grimaldi’s name, in the late 1990s and retired.
- In 2012 they returned to the same address to open Juliana’s, named for Patsy Grimaldi’s mother, Juliana Lancieri Grimaldi.
- Carol Grimaldi, co-founder of both ventures, died in 2014, so the street sign honors her legacy as well as the couple’s partnership.
- Brooklyn co-named a Midwood corner for Di Fara Pizza founder Dom DeMarco in 2024, an earlier example of the city honoring pizza makers with street signs.
A Street Sign Recognizes a 36-Year Run on One Block
Ceremonial street co-namings in New York City usually honor first responders, civic leaders, and local figures whose work shaped a neighborhood. Patsy and Carol Grimaldi Way belongs in the last group. Since 1990, the couple’s pizza has helped turn a short stretch of Old Fulton Street, once a quiet area by the old ferry landing, into one of Brooklyn’s busiest dining blocks.
The new sign sits in the Fulton Ferry Historic District, between the Brooklyn Bridge approach and the East River. Visitors walking down from the bridge often see the line outside the pizzeria before anything else on the block. With the sign, that everyday sight becomes part of the street’s official identity.
Patsy Grimaldi Learned the Trade in His Uncle’s East Harlem Pizzeria
Patsy Grimaldi’s pizza history starts well before DUMBO. His uncle, Pasquale “Patsy” Lancieri, turned a pastry shop on First Avenue in East Harlem into Patsy’s Pizzeria in 1933, and the younger Patsy worked there as a cook. Juliana’s traces its pizza-making roots to that kitchen and the coal-fired methods used there.
In 1990, Patsy and Carol Grimaldi brought that training to Brooklyn. Their pizzeria at 19 Old Fulton Street served thin-crust, coal-fired pies, and the line on the sidewalk became a familiar part of the neighborhood. ABC7 New York noted that the pizza drew fans from across the city and around the world.
The Grimaldi’s Name and the Grimaldi Family Took Separate Paths
The brand history explains why this honor carries weight. Patsy and Carol Grimaldi sold their original pizzeria in the late 1990s, and the Grimaldi’s name was part of the sale. The restaurant that bears that name today is under separate ownership and operates next door at 1 Front Street. It has no business ties to the couple honored on the new sign.
That separation is why the street name refers to the people rather than a restaurant brand. Patsy and Carol Grimaldi Way honors the couple’s work, not any business that has used the family name.
Juliana’s Returned the Couple to Their Original Address in 2012
After more than a decade away from the business, Patsy and Carol Grimaldi came out of retirement in 2012. They partnered with co-founder Matthew Grogan to open Juliana’s at 19 Old Fulton Street, the building where their first pizzeria had operated. Juliana’s says it still uses the original hand-built coal-fired oven in that space.
The name honors Patsy Grimaldi’s mother, Juliana Lancieri Grimaldi, a sister of the East Harlem pizzaiolo who first taught him the trade. Carol Grimaldi saw the restaurant open and worked alongside her husband before her death in 2014. For longtime DUMBO residents, the new sign keeps her name on the block she helped build.
Juliana’s also holds a steady place in a neighborhood whose dining scene keeps changing. Its regulars are part of the foot traffic that has fed Brooklyn’s waterfront restaurant boom this summer, even as newer concepts open around it.
Brooklyn Has Begun Honoring Its Pizza Makers With Street Names
Patsy and Carol Grimaldi Way follows a growing local practice. In 2024, Brooklyn co-named the corner of East 15th Street and Avenue J in Midwood “Domenico ‘Dom’ DeMarco Way” for the late founder of Di Fara Pizza, who made pies at that storefront for decades after opening it in 1965. At the time, Scott’s Pizza Tours noted that only two other New York City streets had been co-named for pizzeria owners, both on Staten Island.
These honors reflect a wider recognition of pizzerias as small businesses that anchor neighborhoods. Family-run shops like Di Fara and Juliana’s have kept customers coming for decades, hired local workers, and given visitors a reason to explore beyond Manhattan. Street co-namings acknowledge that role.
FAQs
Where Is Patsy and Carol Grimaldi Way?
Patsy and Carol Grimaldi Way is the honorary co-name of Old Fulton Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn, near the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. The street keeps its official name, Old Fulton Street.
Who Are Patsy and Carol Grimaldi?
Patsy and Carol Grimaldi are the couple who opened a coal-fired pizzeria at 19 Old Fulton Street in 1990 and later founded Juliana’s at the same address in 2012. Carol Grimaldi died in 2014.
Is Juliana’s Connected to Grimaldi’s Pizzeria?
Juliana’s is run by Patsy Grimaldi, who co-founded the original pizzeria at 19 Old Fulton Street. The couple sold that business and its name in the late 1990s, and the current Grimaldi’s operates separately at 1 Front Street.
Why Is Juliana’s Named Juliana’s?
Juliana’s is named for Patsy Grimaldi’s mother, Juliana Lancieri Grimaldi. Her brother founded Patsy’s Pizzeria in East Harlem in 1933, where Patsy Grimaldi learned to make pizza.
Which Other New York City Pizza Makers Have Streets Named After Them?
Brooklyn co-named a Midwood corner “Domenico ‘Dom’ DeMarco Way” in 2024 for the founder of Di Fara Pizza. Staten Island has also honored pizzeria owners with street co-namings.
