The barber shop where Albert Anastasia was shot dead

This is the former barber shop where mafia boss Albert Anastasia was shot dead.

It is located at 870 7th Avenue in Manhattan, New York.

At the time of the shooting, it was the barbershop of the Park Sheraton Hotel. These days, it is a Starbucks outlet.

Anastasia's rise

Albert "The Mad Hatter" Anastasia was one of the most fearsome figures in mob history.

During his younger days, he was the boss of an organized criminal gang called Murder, Inc., which is believed to have orchestrated as many as 1,000 contract killings between 1921 and 1941.

Following the demise of Murder, Inc., he became the underboss of the Mangano crime family, serving under Vincent Mangano.

However, on April 19th, 1951, Mangano suddenly disappeared.

On the same day, his brother, Philip, was found dead in a marshland area in Jamaica Bay. He had been shot twice in the face and once in the neck.

It is believed that Anastasia ordered the brothers' deaths so that he could take control of the family. This plan worked, as the Commission appointed him as the new boss shortly after Mangano's disappearance.

From that point on, it became known as the Anastasia family.

Frank Costello

Anastasia's promotion to the top spot was backed by the boss of the Luciano family, Frank Costello, who viewed him as a much-needed ally.

At the time, Costello had concerns that an influential mobster named Vito Genovese was planning a coup against him.

Aware that a potential threat was looming, he reasoned that having an ally on the Commission would help strengthen his position.

Costello was worried about Vito Genovese

Genovese was the former acting boss of the Luciano family. However, he vacated the role in 1937 after he was forced to flee to Italy to avoid a murder charge.

In 1946, the charges against him were dropped after two vital witnesses in the case were murdered.

Consequently, he was able to return to the mob world.

Although the ambitious gangster attempted to regain his position as the acting boss of the family, Costello refused to move aside and relinquish his title.

Realizing that he needed to bide his time, Genovese reluctantly agreed to return to his original role as the capo of the Greenwich Village Crew in Manhattan.

By the mid-1950s, it seems as though he finally felt confident enough to make a move against Costello.

However, from his perspective, there was just one problem. For a coup to be successful, he needed to neutralize Anastasia.

Genovese conspired with one of Anastasia's capos

Genovese soon started conspiring with Anastasia's capo, Carlo Gambino. In exchange for turning against his own boss, Gambino would be allowed to step up and replace him.

Essentially, the two men conspired to take over their respective crime families. Genovese would replace Costello as the boss of the Luciano family, and Gambino would become the new head of the Anastasia family.

Costello resigned

On May 2nd, 1957, Costello narrowly survived an attempt on his life. Spooked by his close encounter with death, he finally agreed to retire and hand the reins over to Genovese.

However, a few months after Genovese took charge, he heard reports that Costello had been secretly making plans with Anastasia to regain power.

At that point, he realized that he needed to kill his boss' powerful ally.

Anastasia's death

On the morning of October 25th, 1957, Anastasia entered the barbershop of the Park Sheraton Hotel and sat down in a chair. Shortly afterwards, gunmen with scarves wrapped around their faces entered the premises and opened fire on him, shooting him multiple times until he slumped to the floor.

Although no one was charged with the murder, it is believed that an up-and-coming mobster named Joe Gallo was one of the shooters, and that he was aided by members of the Gambino crew.

Following the killing, the Luciano family became known as the Genovese family, and the Anastasia family became the Gambino family.

Genovese's reign as the new boss did not last long, however, as he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for narcotics trafficking in 1959.

Gambino, on the other hand, had a long spell at the top, remaining in charge until he died from a heart attack in 1976. Shortly before his death, he appointed Paul Castellano as his successor.

Photos

Photos of the barber shop and other related images.

Barber shop

This Google Street View image of 870 7th Avenue was taken in August 2021. At the time of the shooting, the building was home to Arthur Grasso's barber shop.

During the attack, Anastasia attempted to fight back against his assailants. However, amid the chaos, he became confused by the mirrors and tried to attack the gunmen's reflections instead.

Two of the bullets proved to be fatal. One struck him in the head, while another penetrated his lung, kidney, and spleen.

Anthony Coppola

Anastasia's driver and bodyguard, Anthony Coppola, was conspicuously absent during the shooting.

After parking the car in an underground lot, he decided to walk outside of the hotel, leaving his boss unprotected.

Vito Genovese and Carlo Gambino

Vito Genovese and Carlo Gambino conspired together to replace their respective bosses.

Funeral

Anastasia was not allowed to have a Catholic funeral due to his misdeeds. Consequently, he was buried at the non-denominational Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.

Death

On the left, you can see Anastasia's body on the floor of the barbershop.

The photograph on the right shows his body being carried out to the coroner's van.