STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Rumors have been afloat for more than a year that Schaffer's Tavern was sold. Well, turns out there's truth behind the talk.

Pending regulatory and Buildings Department approvals, Victory State Bank is taking over a long-term lease of the historic space at 2055 Victory Blvd. in Meiers Corners.

Construction of a new building will begin in early 2017, according to Joe LiBassi, Victory's founder and chairman. When that happens, proprietor Winky Schaffer and his family will retire from the restaurant business.

A final day of Schaffer's Tavern service has not been announced.

SOLID ROOTS ON STATEN ISLAND

Back in March, when rumors ran rampant of a bank taking over the spot, Schaffer shrugged off the chatter as he tended bar. He couldn't complain about business and admitted it's been a great stretch -- 83 years in Meiers Corners -- making the place the longest-running family-owned eatery on Staten Island.

"Hello, my friend! How ya doin'?" said Winky back on that balmy spring day. He reached over to the side to shake hands with a patron, then took back to his spot behind the taps filling chilled mugs with beer.

There's a lot of history within these knotted pine walls, many fond memories of families and neighborhood "good people" types, Schaffer has said.

And, the story of Schaffer's goes like this: Winky's grandfather, George, had a speakeasy, located at the top of Jewett Avenue at Victory Boulevard in the 1920s. (That's where a Burger King is now.) When Prohibition ended, George opened Schaffer's in its current building (2055 Victory Boulevard) purchased in 1933. The structure resembles a Bavarian tavern with its flower boxes and roof line.

Winky manages the restaurant with sons Chad and Troy. Some of the family members live in two apartments upstairs.

On Tuesday, waitress Mary Karpeles shuttled to tables Schaffer's famed pastrami and separate platter of tender, brown sauce-topped fresh sliced ham served with string beans and mashed potatoes. She's been a server at the restaurant for over 30 years and knows customers by name.

Other long-time employees are held in high esteem like the Schaffers' late bartenders -- Ed Cicci, Ed Lunny, Peter Barquin, Charles "Cookie" Farley, Ed Noonen -- who are memorialized in the front room.

THE FEEL OF SCHAFFER'S

Detail inside the two-room tavern include ceramic tile floors and auburn woodwork, both original to Schaffer's. Only the bar has changed: Seventeen years ago, a fire damaged a mantle that hung over the space and subsequently a carpenter named Joe Tuite built a new back-bar.

Other traditions in the place include small jars or bowls of hot red peppers and vinegar-pickled green tomatoes, potato pancakes and sauteed red cabbage.

Corned beef -- "Lean? Or do you like a little fat on that?" Winky will ask patrons who order the item -- is among the most popular eats along with house-made soups, wurst platters and stick-to-your ribs Bavarian comfort fare.

A further look around the space affords a view of a Rubsam & Hormann Atlantic Brewery barrel from the 19th century which hangs from a wall opposite the bar. The operation, once in Stapleton, was known as R&H for short.

Etched signs and hand-made, miniature Bavarian-style houses around the restaurant come from Joe Irlinger (aka "German Joe") of Dongan Hills.

Joe LiBassi said the bank designs are in its final stages. He hopes to have its grand opening in 2017.

"This will be our sixth branch on Staten Island with our brand of personalized customer service," said LiBassi. It will be Victory's first location on aptly named Victory Boulevard.