Richie Akiva Celebrates 50 at 1Oak as the Legendary Club Stages a Comeback

Richie Akiva walked back into 1Oak on Saturday night, not as the guy who lost the club, but as the guy turning 50 inside it. The West 17th Street space shut down during COVID-19 and was later evicted over more than $1.8 million in unpaid rent, which makes a birthday party in that same room a pretty bold statement.

The guest list leaned heavily on nostalgia. Busta Rhymes, Trey Songz, Tyriq Withers and Zack Bia were all in the building, and Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul supplied Dos Hombres tequila for the night. Sources at the party said it felt like 2016 all over again, and when 1Oak closed at 5 a.m., the whole thing shifted over to Socialista.

So what does the future actually look like? Akiva and partner Darren Dzienciol can open the original space twelve times a year for pop-ups and private events. A permanent downtown location is reportedly targeting a February opening. Akiva put it simply: he’s glad to give NYC a home again. Now we want to know, what’s the one closed-down club you’d give anything to party in one more time?