What was once a celebrity hotspot and exclusive nightclub is now nothing but a distant memory, as NYC’s 1Oak location has officially been evicted.
The club closed down earlier in the pandemic, however, Co-owner Richie Akiva promised its return “in full force,” initially reported Page Six in January of 2021. A city martial recently ensured that promise will not be fulfilled after evicting the club from its location on Thursday, October 20th.
The club was once frequented by a slew of celebrities during its run from 2007 to 2020. Rihanna held a Met Gala after party there in 2017 and it’s even mentioned in Jay Z’s “Beach Is Better” lyric, “Started out at The Darby, ended up at 1Oak.”
According to the New York Post, the eviction came as a surprise to Akiva. A representative told the New York Post that “[they] were completely unaware.”
Court records show that the club has accumulated almost $1.8 million in back rent after costs increased to $72,000/month by 2021. Attorney Steven Landy for landlord N.E.W. Corp. assured that “[1Oak has] been properly evicted.”
Apparently since closing its doors, Akiva’s 17th Street Entertainment LLC hasn’t had access to its funds coming from federal Payment Protection Program loans due to a business quarrel with corporate parnter Katz Group. “Richie has been trying to reopen these clubs and still hopes to do that, but you can’t do that when your bank unilaterally freezes your accounts, without a court order,” said Akiva’s attorney, Julian Perlman, as reported by the New York Post. “10akNY could reopen tomorrow, as Richie has been trying to do, if it could just have access to its own money.”
For now it will just have to join the post-pandemic nightlife graveyard alongside spots like Avenue and 1Oak’s sister club, Up & Down, that permanently closed its doors at the start of the pandemic.