After 42 years as a popular restaurant and party venue on Manhattan’s riverfront, The Water Club’s future is uncertain.
Buzzy O’Keefe’s posh eatery and party space, housed on a barge docked off East 30th Street in the East River, has closed indefinitely for “renovations” and may never reopen, sources said.
People who called recently to try to reserve dates for weddings and other events were told the legendary venue was not accepting reservations while O’Keefe considered his options.
Reached by phone this week to ask about the situation, a reporter said, “To be honest, it’s still up in the air.”
O’Keefe operates the Water Club on land owned by the city, which licenses his company.
Insiders told The Post that O’Keefe’s agreement with the Port Terminals Authority allows him to sell the license, but any sale would require city approval of the new operator’s operating performance and financial standing.
O’Keefe did not respond to calls or emails.
Officials with the city’s Economic Development Corporation were not immediately able to provide details.
After years of campaigning to win recognition from city, state and federal agencies, O’Keefe founded the Water Club in 1982. The three-story vessel offers river views from multiple dining rooms, party spaces, outdoor decks and a rooftop “Crow’s Nest.”
The opening was hailed as a sign of confidence for a city still recovering from near bankruptcy, rising crime and an exodus of businesses.
The waterfront setting and white tablecloth elegance made it equally popular for “power lunches” and romantic evening festivities.
Guests seemed to have returned from the rough streets of Manhattan, with naval flags, Chopin nocturnes playing in the dining room and the occasional sound of a cargo ship’s wake.
The Water Club was the venue for the wedding of former Governor David Patterson and Mary Sliwa, and the pre-wedding reception for Senator Ted Kennedy and Vicki Reggie. Debbie Harry of Blondie sang at the wedding of two close friends.
It’s played host to glamorous events, including the TriBeCa Film Festival after-party, where the likes of Gerard Butler and Jon Flanagan mingled with Maiden star Tracey Edwards.
One of the most memorable moments was the press conference where then-Senator Al D’Amato and former Page Six editor-in-chief Claudia Cohen announced they were “in a relationship,” though they would never marry.
But the venture has been plagued by environmental issues; the barge nearly sank in 2012 when Superstorm Sandy flooded the cabin and hull of O’Keefe’s River Café in Brooklyn. Both were able to reopen a year later; the Water Club was later converted into a private events venue.
Weddings were held here as recently as last fall, and it continued to be the perfect place to enjoy Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks and delicious American food until the event moved to the West Side this year.
But the pandemic has clearly taken a toll: A Reddit post from last fall said, “Due to planned renovations beginning in January 2024, we are currently not certain of our 2024 dates and are closed to events until further notice.”
The Post reported in December 2021 that O’Keefe had applied for a casino license with the state. The casino facilities would be located in a new building constructed on the water next to the Water Club.
But the proposal was not on a list of applicants recently released by the state Gaming Siting Commission, which is expected to select one or more southern state proposals later this year.
