New York City nightlife is a fickle beast. One minute you’re the hottest spot on Varick Street, and the next, you’re a cautionary tale in a courtroom. Greenhouse Club New York City was supposed to be different. Launched in 2008 by Jon Bakhshi, it promised a collision of high-end debauchery and environmental consciousness. It was the city's first LEED-certified nightclub.
Think about that for a second.
A place where people spend $500 on bottles of vodka while supposedly "saving the planet" with bamboo floors and LED lighting. It sounds like a parody of late-2000s culture. But for a few years, Greenhouse was the center of the universe for the Young Hollywood set and Manhattan’s elite.
People flocked there. Not because they cared about the sustainable cork ceilings, but because it was the place to be seen. It was glossy. It was exclusive. It was also, eventually, a total mess.
Why Greenhouse Club New York City Actually Mattered
Greenhouse wasn’t just another dark room with loud bass. It occupied a massive 6,000-square-foot space in Soho. The design was actually pretty stunning at the time. Bluarch Architecture handled the interior, installing these incredible ceiling features that looked like rolling green hills made of crystal.
The "eco" gimmick wasn't just marketing fluff—at least not entirely. They used wind power credits. The uniforms were organic cotton. They had waterless urinals. It was a legitimate attempt to see if the excess of the club world could coexist with a carbon footprint that didn't resemble a small country's.
But the reality of nightlife is rarely as clean as a LEED certification.
While the design was forward-thinking, the operations were old-school NYC club chaos. You had the velvet ropes, the picky bouncers, and the constant hum of celebrity sightings. Rihanna, Drake, and Chris Brown were regulars. In fact, Greenhouse (and its downstairs sister lounge, W.i.P.) became more famous for the people who fought there than the people who danced there.
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The Infamous Brawl and the Beginning of the End
If you remember Greenhouse Club New York City today, you probably remember the 2012 bottle-throwing incident. It wasn't even in the main Greenhouse room; it happened downstairs at W.i.P. (Work in Progress).
Drake and Chris Brown’s entourages clashed. Hard.
Bottles flew. People were injured. The imagery of the smashed glass and the subsequent lawsuits essentially branded the venue as a "problem" spot for the NYPD. It’s hard to maintain a "green and peaceful" brand when your name is splashed across every tabloid alongside photos of jagged glass and bloodied VIP tables.
The authorities started watching closer. When the police start hovering, the high-spending crowd usually starts looking for the next exit.
The Legal Tangles and the Identity Crisis
Beyond the celebrity fights, Greenhouse faced a mountain of legal issues that most clubgoers never saw. There were allegations of racial discrimination at the door—a common but ugly trope in the 1.0 era of mega-clubs. The New York State Liquor Authority doesn't play around when a venue becomes a magnet for 911 calls.
Jon Bakhshi’s vision began to fray.
Managing a nightclub is basically like managing a theater production where the audience is drunk and the actors are unpredictable. Greenhouse tried to pivot. They rebranded, they renovated, and they tried to distance themselves from the violence. But by 2014, the magic was gone. The building at 150 Varick Street eventually moved on to different iterations, but the specific "Greenhouse" era remains a time capsule of a very specific moment in NYC history.
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It was the peak of "Ethical Consumption" culture. We really thought we could party our way to a better planet.
Honestly, the club’s downfall wasn't just the fights or the lawsuits. It was the shift in Soho itself. The neighborhood was changing. The era of the massive, multi-level discotheque was giving way to more intimate, "speakeasy" style lounges or rooftop bars in the Meatpacking District. Greenhouse felt like a relic of 2008 by the time 2014 rolled around.
What People Get Wrong About the "Green" Aspect
Critics loved to bash the hypocrisy of an eco-club. "How much electricity does that sound system use?" they’d ask.
It’s a fair point. But Greenhouse actually pushed the industry forward. Today, you see bars using compostable straws and LED lighting as a standard. Back then? It was revolutionary. They proved that sustainable materials could actually look sexy. You didn't have to sit on a hay bale to be environmentally conscious.
The bamboo flooring held up under thousands of high heels. The recycled glass bar tops looked like expensive marble. If anything, Greenhouse was a successful experiment in sustainable interior design, even if the business model of high-octane nightlife eventually imploded.
The Legacy of 150 Varick Street
So, what happened to the space? After Greenhouse faded out, the location saw various attempts at revival. It became "The Varick" and other short-lived ventures. But the ghost of Greenhouse lingers.
For a generation of New Yorkers, Greenhouse Club New York City represents the last gasp of the Soho mega-club. Before everything became a boutique fitness studio or a luxury condo, you could go to Varick Street and lose your mind for a few hours in a room filled with recycled crystals.
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It’s worth noting that the "green" trend in nightlife hasn't died; it just moved. You see it now in Brooklyn—outdoor venues with solar panels and farm-to-table cocktail programs. Greenhouse was just the flashy, Manhattan version of an idea that was a decade ahead of its time.
How to Understand the Greenhouse Era Today
If you're looking back at Greenhouse as a case study for business or just out of nostalgia, there are a few things to keep in mind.
First, brand identity is fragile. You can spend millions on LEED certification, but one bad night with the wrong celebrity can redefine your business overnight. Second, the NYC nightlife scene is cyclical. The "Greenhouse" model of massive bottle service is currently in a lull, replaced by more curated "listening bars."
But don't be surprised if it comes back. Everything in this city does.
Actionable Takeaways for the Nightlife Historian
- Research the Architecture: If you're into design, look up Bluarch's original schematics for the club. It’s still a masterclass in using sustainable materials in a high-traffic, luxury environment.
- Study the Legal Fallout: For those interested in the business of nightlife, the lawsuits following the 2012 brawl are a fascinating look at "duty of care" for venue owners.
- Visit the Neighborhood: Walk past 150 Varick today. The energy of Soho/Hudson Square has shifted toward tech and media offices, making the idea of a 600-person nightclub there feel like a fever dream from a different century.
- Check the SLA Records: If you're a real nerd for NYC history, the public records of the State Liquor Authority show exactly how the city slowly dismantled the club's ability to operate. It wasn't one big event; it was a thousand small fines and infractions.
Greenhouse was a beautiful contradiction. It was a place that wanted to save the world while simultaneously being the site of some of the world's most famous ego clashes. It was loud, it was green, and for a brief moment, it was the only place in New York that mattered.
Next Steps for Deep Research
- Examine the LEED standards for commercial interiors from the 2008-2010 era to see how Greenhouse compared to office buildings of the same period.
- Compare the 2012 bottle-service model with current 2026 nightlife trends to see how "eco-nightlife" has evolved into the current "minimalist-sustainable" movement.
- Review the court documents from the Drake vs. Chris Brown litigations to understand how private security mandates changed for NYC clubs as a direct result of that night.