Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
East Williamsburg Party Space House Of Yes Raided By NYPD, Closing Anyway
By
Jen Carlson
Published Aug 20, 2013
Modified Aug 20, 2013
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 .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Aug 20, 2013
Modified Aug 20, 2013
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
From the House of Yes's Christmas Spectacular. (Photo by Tod Seelie)
Long gone is the era that anyone could just lease out a warehouse in non-residential East Williamsburg, build a stage, sell cheap beers, book some bands, and hardly worry about such things as paperwork. These kind of illegal, DIY venues have mostly all become legal at this point, and if they haven't, The Man will come calling eventually. That's what happened at the House of Yes over the weekend.
According to the NY Post, cops raided the place early Saturday morning, arresting four people for selling alcohol without a license, including manager John Politowski, bartender Samantha Isom, doorman Aaron Edwards, and security guard Robert Lasenburg.
The people behind the shuttered venue—who are known for their over the top parties—sent out an email this morning regarding their closing ("We are closing our space with open hearts, packing up a five-year passion project fueled")... but this closing was planned. The NYPD just happened to come knocking on one of their final nights in the space.
They've been actively seeking a new space in the area ("4,000-7,000 square feet with over 25 feet of ceilings at market rate or lower"), and promise great new things to come... maybe even great, legal things? We've reached out the organizers for a comment on their future plans, as well as Saturday's bust, and will update if we hear back.
Update: Anya of House Of Yes told us this morning that their Friday night variety show ended at 10 p.m., "and then we rented the space out for a private event afterwards as we often do. There was some sort of a police altercation which we still don't know much about, but some people were apparently detained."
Tagged
diy
east williamsburg
house of yes
why god
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
Thanks to Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet and more, the rideshare program is having a moment.
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Published Oct 8, 2026
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
If you're playing tourist in your own town, this is an in-demand option.
By
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
If you're playing tourist in your own town, this is an in-demand option.
By
James Ramsay
What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.
By
Jayson Greene
Inside a photographer's journey to visit every neighborhood in New York City
By
Sonia Rao
Banned books and Winnie the Pooh: October in NYC libraries
By
Alec Hamilton
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 .