Canarsie Pier was built in 1926 by the New York Department of Docks. The pier projects 600 feet into Island Channel and was a part of a project to expand Jamaica Bay into a center of commerce. This plan never materialized, and the dock instead became a popular fishing spot for professionals and amateurs alike.

At its construction, the pier was adjacent to Golden City Park, an amusement park built in 1907 that rivaled its neighbors on Coney Island. By the 1920s, the attraction of the park diminished, in part due to two devastating fires in 1909 and 1912, though the pier was still occupied by a boisterous beer and dance hall. Golden City suffered a final fire in 1934, closing the venue for good. Parks Commissioner Robert Moses led the eventual closure and demolition of the scorched pleasure ground, and the land was turned over to the New York Department of Parks in the 1940s, who still maintain the Canarsie Pier and surrounding area.