If you drove down Sunset Boulevard a few years ago, you couldn't miss it. The yellow-and-black "1 OAK" sign was basically a lighthouse for the young, the rich, and the incredibly famous. It stood for "One of a Kind," and for a solid chunk of the 2010s, it really was.
But honestly? The 1 OAK Los Angeles you remember is gone.
The club officially shuttered its West Hollywood doors, leaving a vacuum in the LA nightlife scene that a dozen other spots have tried—and mostly failed—to fill. It wasn't just a bar or a place to dance; it was a cultural gatekeeper. If you weren't on the list, you weren't just outside the club; you were outside the conversation.
The Rise of the 1 OAK Empire on Sunset
1 OAK didn't start in LA. It was born in New York City, the brainchild of Richie Akiva and Ronnie Madra under the Butter Group umbrella. When it finally migrated to the West Coast in 2014, taking over the space formerly held by the Key Club at 9039 Sunset Blvd, it felt like a shift in the tectonic plates of Hollywood.
The space was intimate. That was the secret sauce.
While other clubs were trying to fit 2,000 people into massive warehouses, 1 OAK Los Angeles kept things tight. It was a room designed for people-watching, with a long, chevron-patterned floor and those iconic Roy Nachum paintings of blindfolded children. It felt more like a rich friend’s living room—if that friend had a world-class sound system and a massive budget for sparklers.
Celebrity wasn't an occasional guest here; it was the wallpaper. You’d have Rihanna at one table, Leonardo DiCaprio tucked into a corner booth, and Kanye West debuting a new track over the DJ booth speakers. It was the kind of place where TMZ practically lived on the sidewalk because they knew someone with a billion followers would eventually walk through those doors.
Why 1 OAK Los Angeles Was Different From Your Average Club
Most clubs have a shelf life of about eighteen months. They open with a bang, get too crowded, lose their "cool" factor, and turn into a tourist trap before closing and rebranding. 1 OAK defied that gravity for a long time.
🔗 Read more: Jack Blocker American Idol Journey: What Most People Get Wrong
Why? Because they mastered the art of the "hustle."
The promoters weren't just looking for warm bodies; they were looking for a specific aesthetic. If you were a regular person trying to get in, you didn't just need money. You needed a connection. This exclusivity created a feedback loop. Because it was hard to get in, everyone wanted to be there. Because everyone wanted to be there, the celebrities stayed.
The Design Language
The interior wasn't just "flashy." It was moody. It used dark woods, brass accents, and a very specific type of warm lighting that made everyone look like a movie star. It was the antithesis of the neon-soaked EDM clubs that were popping up in Vegas at the same time. 1 OAK was about hip-hop, bottle service, and the "vibe."
It’s weird to think about now, but there was a time when a club didn't need an Instagram wall to be successful. 1 OAK succeeded because people wanted to be there, not just prove they were there. Though, let's be real, plenty of people did that anyway.
The Slow Fade and the Ultimate Closure
Nothing stays the same in West Hollywood.
By the late 2010s, the landscape started to shift. Newer spots like Poppy, Nightingale, and eventually the private club scenes like San Vicente Bungalows started pulling the "A-list" crowd away. 1 OAK Los Angeles began to feel a bit like the old guard.
Then 2020 happened.
💡 You might also like: Why American Beauty by the Grateful Dead is Still the Gold Standard of Americana
The pandemic was the final blow for many legendary spots, but 1 OAK’s departure felt different. It wasn't just about a virus; it was about the end of an era of "big" nightlife. People wanted smaller, more curated experiences. The massive bottle service culture started to feel a little... tacky? Or maybe just tired.
When the news broke that 1 OAK Los Angeles was officially done, there wasn't a huge press release. It just sort of stopped. The signage came down, and the building sat waiting for its next life. Eventually, the space was reimagined as "The 9039," but for those who spent their Saturdays in the mid-2010s waiting behind those velvet ropes, it will always be the house that Akiva built.
What Replaced 1 OAK and What’s There Now?
If you go to 9039 Sunset Blvd today, you aren't going to find 1 OAK. You'll find Bootsy Bellows taking up a lot of the oxygen in that neighborhood, or perhaps you'll wander into the newer, high-concept lounges that prioritize "membership" over a simple cover charge.
The closure of 1 OAK marked a pivot in LA. We went from "Mega Clubs" to "Ultra Lounges."
The focus moved toward spaces where you can actually hear your friends talk, though the prices for a bottle of vodka haven't exactly come down. The DNA of 1 OAK lives on in places like The Nice Guy or Delilah, where the focus is on a dinner-to-party transition. It's a more "grown-up" version of the chaos that used to happen on the 1 OAK dance floor.
How to Navigate the Current LA Nightlife Scene
If you’re looking for the spirit of 1 OAK Los Angeles today, you have to know where to look. You can't just show up at a door and expect to get in with a smile. The game has changed.
First, forget the "club" mindset. Think "lounges."
📖 Related: Why October London Make Me Wanna Is the Soul Revival We Actually Needed
Spots like Offsunset or Winston House are where the energy has migrated. They are smaller, harder to get into, and rely heavily on who you know. If you're visiting LA and want that 1 OAK feeling, you're better off looking at the programming at Academy if you want the big room feel, or Nightingale if you want the table service experience.
- Follow the Promoters, Not the Brand: In LA, the brand of the club matters less than the person throwing the party. Names like Frankie Delgado or the H.Wood Group team are the ones who actually control the doors.
- Dress for the Part: The 1 OAK era was about high-fashion streetwear mixed with luxury. That hasn't changed. If you look like a tourist, you'll be treated like one.
- Be Early or Very Late: The "sweet spot" for entry in LA is either 10:30 PM (before the rush) or 12:45 AM (when the first wave of people leaves).
- Check the Calendar: Most of these high-end spots aren't open seven days a week. They have "industry nights"—usually Tuesdays or Thursdays—that are actually much better than the weekend crowds.
The Lasting Legacy of the One of a Kind Brand
1 OAK Los Angeles wasn't just a business; it was a vibe. It proved that you could take a New York City concept—gritty but luxury, exclusive but loud—and make it work in the land of palm trees and sunshine.
It taught the Sunset Strip that intimacy is more valuable than square footage. It showed that if you curate the crowd correctly, the brand will take care of itself. While the physical location is gone, the "1 OAK" name still carries weight in places like Tokyo and New York, serving as a reminder of a very specific window in time when nightlife was about the mystery of what was happening behind the curtain.
If you’re planning a night out in West Hollywood today, don't go looking for the yellow sign. It's a ghost. Instead, look for the places that make you feel like you've arrived somewhere you aren't supposed to be. That was the real magic of 1 OAK.
To navigate the modern scene, start by researching the H.Wood Group or SBE properties, as they currently hold the keys to the most exclusive doors in the city. If you want a table, be prepared to book weeks in advance and expect a minimum spend that could easily cover a mortgage payment. The "gatekeeper" culture is alive and well; it just moved down the street.
Actionable Insights for LA Nightlife:
- Target Mid-Week: Tuesday nights at certain lounges are often more "A-list" than Saturday nights.
- Use Concierge Services: If you're staying at a high-end hotel like the Pendry or the Edition, use the house concierge. They often have direct lines to the door hosts that you won't find on Yelp.
- Verify Openings: Before heading to the Sunset Strip, check the social media pages of the venues. Pop-up events and private takeovers are incredibly common, and a "public" club might be closed for a private movie premiere at a moment's notice.