Manhattan, NY State of Play Hospitality signed a lease in New York City to open Flight Club, an upscale technology-enabled Social Darts concept, at 31 Union Square West.
The 10,700 s/f former bank, spanning both the ground floor and basement with a patio on 16th St., most recently housed the Blue Water Grill restaurant and has a storied history. Built by the Bank of Metropolis in 1902-03 as their prestigious new headquarters, 31 Union Square West is a 16-story Renaissance Revival building designed by architect Bruce Price. It was designated a city landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1988 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
The opening of Flight Club, scheduled for late 2025, adds yet another exciting hospitality chapter to the building’s rich history. The site has previously been home to Zippers, a nightclub, in the early 1980’s followed by Metropolis, a high-end restaurant with a basement club, in the latter part of that decade. Blue Water Grill opened in 1996 and enjoyed huge success for over 20 years.
Toby Harris, CEO of State of Play Hospitality, said, “We’ve been looking for the right real estate opportunity to land Flight Club in New York for over five years, and this site has the potential to be a genuine landmark for the city and the Group. Both 31 Union Square as a building and the stunning split level Flight Club space are as close to the physical brief for the brand that we could wish for. It’s exciting and humbling to be opening our North American Flight Club flagship at such a legendary location and I’m confident that, by complementing and retaining the character of the building, we will be able to do it justice.”
Inspired by the heritage of darts from British pubs and Victorian fairgrounds, Flight Club has revolutionized the traditional game of darts with technology that provides automated scoring and various multiplayer games for all group sizes. Alongside next-generation gameplay, Flight Club combines a food program and craft cocktails within an events and entertainment environment.
Flight Club New York will be the Group’s first venue in Manhattan, its ninth lease for the Flight Club brand in North America and a global flagship.
State of Play Hospitality launched the first Flight Club in the U.S., under license, in the downtown Loop area of Chicago in 2018. Since its North American debut, State of Play has brought Flight Club to Boston, Houston, Atlanta, Las Vegas and Denver, and has new venues opening in late 2024 in both Washington D.C. and Philadelphia.
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