Despite rebounding from last summer’s shock closure announcement, Haight Street jazz and swing nightclub Club Deluxe is apparently finished for good at its 1511 Haight Street location amidst an ongoing landlord dispute.
It was music to our ears last August when a compromise deal promised to keep Haight Street’s Club Deluxe open, after the 33-year-old music nightclub only weeks before had looked like it was getting shut down amidst some sort of ongoing but vaguely defined landlord dispute. But now eight months later, a sour note out of the blue: BrokeAssStuart.com reported Tuesday that Club Deluxe may be closing after all, citing the Instagram post below from a longtime club bartender. “So long, Club DeLuxe!,” the post says. “That’s right, after serving San Francisco for 33 years, our beloved bar sadly won’t be returning, folks.”
Now, on Wednesday, the Chronicle confirms the news that Club Deluxe has in fact closed. That confirmation comes from what the Chronicle describes as “an email to club musicians shared on social media,” an email originally written by Club Deluxe owner Sarah Wilde. “We must move on, and move out,” Wilde wrote. The Chronicle adds that, in the email, “owner Sarah Wilde wrote that she was planning to close after maintenance issues and lease concerns.”
Club Deluxe has apparently been closed for maintenance and remodeling for the last few months. The above Facebook post from January 8 indicates some remodeling is happening. Prior to that, a mid-October Facebook post said “Dear friends, construction is moving forward but Deluxe will be closed likely through Nov. Thank you for your patience. See you soon.” The Club Deluxe calendar does not show any performances have been scheduled since August 28.
And we can’t help but point out that Club Deluxe’s landlord is Veritas Investments (yes, that Veritas Investments). Supervisor Dean Preston’s office, which brokered the August compromise for the nightclub to stay open, did not mention Veritas by name in a statement to the Chronicle this week that “ongoing conflicts that have delayed and could threaten the reopening of Club Deluxe.”
Veritas gave their own statement to the Chronicle saying, “We remain hopeful that Club Deluxe continues to be a part of the community for years to come, however we realize that there are factors outside of our control.”
There may be another movement to this composition, as Wilde’s email to musicians reportedly said, “I am going to move forward and do what I can to keep Deluxe together, and safely [move] into a new space.” Club Deluxe was added to the SF Legacy Business Registry last year, which may help with relocation or other costs.
Image: Shane S. via Yelp
