The Blond has faded to black.
The buzzy nightclub inside the 11 Howard hotel permanently closed its doors last weekend, following one last Halloween blowout, as a new operator takes over the property this week.
We hear the celeb haunt’s most devoted revelers had no idea it was coming to an end.
A source tells Page Six that guests learned of the closure only when the DJ made the bombshell announcement over the microphone during Saturday night’s bash.
“It was packed,” one clubgoer tells us. “No one knew. The spot was doing great, and weekends were busy with long lines. There was a great energy for Halloween. People didn’t realize it was the last night until the DJ said on the mic it was closing.”
The move comes as a high-stakes real estate battle was reaching its conclusion behind the velvet ropes.
Page Six has learned that a settlement was reached between hotel owner Aby Rosen and his partners at RFR Holding, which leased the space, and landlord Commerz Real. The groups had been embroiled in multiple legal disputes, with Commerz Real claiming it was owed millions in back rent according to court documents, as RFR alleged the landlords had breached their contract by violating a buyback option.
This week, RFR, founded by Rosen and Michael Fuchs in the early ’90s, handed the property back to the landlords as part of the settlement, we’re told.
The Real Deal has reported that hospitality group Ennismore — which operates hotel brands including the Hoxton, Mondrian, Delano and SLS, to name a few — has taken over as operator.
“11 Howard is a great hotel with an extraordinary future,” Rosen told Page Six in a statement. “We’re excited to see it enter its next chapter with an operator that we trust and have a long history with who will take the property to new heights.”
A rep for Ennismore and Commerz Real did not return our request for comment.
Rosen opened The Blond in March 2016 with three nights of star-studded previews, drawing the likes of Cuba Gooding Jr., Darren Aronofsky, Lyor Cohen and Rose McGowan, Page Six reported at the time.
The club quickly became a downtown hot spot, with its banquettes playing host to a revolving cast of Hollywood royalty and fashion power players like Hailey Bieber, A$AP Rocky, Prabal Gurung and Calvin Klein.
Even Rudy Giuliani once made an appearance, turning up for a birthday bash honoring writer Bob Colacello, rubbing elbows with Mary-Kate Olsen, Barbara Walters, art dealers Mary Boone and Doris Ammann as well as artists Tom Sachs and Francesco Vezzoli, we reported.
In 2022, Page Six caught Madonna twerking her way through the art-adorned space at a party for chic designer LaQuan Smith’s Fashion Week party.
And the club wasn’t just a celebrity playground. In 2024, The New York Post reported that it had become a favorite among Wall Street’s fat-pocketed summer interns.
“A lot of the wealthier kids go to The Blond, Little Sister’s or Paul’s,” a Goldman source told the paper, noting that cocktails could run well over $20 and bottle service could top $1,000.
There is still an active liquor license for the address, which we are told means that the new owners could potentially open new spot to see-and-be-seen.
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