Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Hells Angels Reportedly Leaving Their Longtime East Village Clubhouse
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 22, 2019
Modified Feb 22, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Scott Lynch / Gothamist
View all 5
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 22, 2019
Modified Feb 22, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The Hells Angels have been happily ensconced in their clubhouse on East 3rd Street in the East Village since around the time Abbey Road was released and the Mets were world champions. But after almost 50 years there, that is all about to change, because the group has apparently sold the clubhouse and are moving out come springtime.
EV Grieve reported today that public documents note a Memorandum of Contract—a form that precedes a sale—from December 21st between Church of the Angels, Inc. and a corporation listed as 77 East 3rd Street LLC. That doc was signed by Bartley J. Dowling, president of the NYC Hells Angels chapter, and the purchaser, Nathan Blatter of Whitestone Realty Group.
We reached out to the Hells Angels for comment, and also stopped by the clubhouse today—no one answered the door when we knocked.
Although the Hells Angels have been associated with the space since the late '60s, they purchased the six-floor building, which includes their clubhouse and member residences, in 1977 (reportedly for just $1,900). The street has been called "the safest block in New York" because of their continued presence there, although there have been legal battles over the space as recently as 2013. Curbed wrote:
In 1983, then-president Sandy Alexander changed the building's deed to name himself and his family as rent-free tenants, and stipulate that his heirs "shall receive half of the proceeds" from the sale of the building. Then he went to jail for selling cocaine, got kicked out of the club in the '90s, and died in 2007. Now the Hells Angels are preemptively suing his second wife and daughter from another marriage to prevent them from trying to take over the building
They add that according to public records, the deed was transferred from one of Alexander’s heirs to the Angels in 2018, paving the way for a sale.
Despite their overall positive relationship with the neighborhood, their time there hasn't been without its bumps in the road, particularly around the issue of their precious bench: they put up a tourist-repelling beam there in 2011 to keep people from sitting on it. They got some pushback for that, and ended up removing it. Things reached a crisis in 2016 when someone actually stole their beloved bench! As you can see up above, they ended up buying and installing a new wooden bench there.
Check out some old-timey footage of the Hells Angels on East 3rd Street in the video below:
Tagged
east village
hells angels
manhattan
real estate
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
At the Museum at FIT, an argument for dolls as the ultimate fashion influencers
There’s a lot to think about in the doll-verse.
By
Quinn Moreland
Published Sep 30, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. ET
Immanuel Wilkins is upholding NYC's jazz history. He's also dreaming up its future.
The saxophonist performs this week at the Village Vanguard.
By
Sonia Rao
Arts & Entertainment
Immanuel Wilkins is upholding NYC's jazz history. He's also dreaming up its future.
The saxophonist performs this week at the Village Vanguard.
By
Sonia Rao
Ever wish you could get paid to walk through a stranger’s house? ‘The Scout’ is for you.
By
Sonia Rao
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
By
Hannah Frishberg
A massive MTA archive ended up in a Virginia warehouse. A Brooklyn man brought it home.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .