Lightning Society Takes 19K SF at Chetrit’s 45 Howard for Social Club

What would you find in a playground for the intellectually adventurous?

Darwin’s monkey bars? A slide into relativity? The see-saw between Stoicism and hedonism?

Because that is the slogan for a new social club from Lightning Society, a 20-year-old social organization that just signed a 19,000-square-foot lease for a members-only club at Chetrit Organization’s cast-iron 45 Howard Street (also known as 427 Broadway) in SoHo, at the corner of Broadway and Howard streets. 45 Howard Street will host the club’s entrance, while 427 Broadway is the building’s retail entrance. The new club, backed by executives from WeWork, Soho House and Burning Man, will be Lightning Society’s first permanent home.

Lightning Society founder and CEO Timothy Phillips would not disclose the exact terms of the lease, but said it was “a very, very long lease,” and called the rent “substantial, but below market.” A report from Cushman & Wakefield found retail rents in SoHo averaged $385 per square foot during the first quarter of 2025.

Aaron Ellison at Newmark represented Lightning Society. The Chetrit Organization was repped by Newmark’s Howard Kesseler Jr., according to Phillips.

The new club will occupy the building’s top four floors and the rooftop terrace, which constitutes the entire building except the lower-level retail. The new endeavor replaces a museum called The House of Cannabis. News of the lease was first reported by The Real Deal.

The Lightning Society described the new club in a release as “a dynamic hub for adventurous intellectuals and cultural catalysts.”

“It started as parties, performances and social gatherings, and over time became more intellectual,” Phillips told Commercial Observer of his organization’s history. “We moved into things like salons and panel discussions.”

Phillips said that the new club will have “a significant focus on thought leadership.”

“Most of the clubs out there are essentially just private restaurants,” said Phillips. “You don’t go there to meet people or engage around anything. You go to have a nice time with your friends and presumably have an elevated dining experience. Our agenda is to actually make a space that’s about ideas and shared experience.”

Phillips envisions public conversations at the club on topics from art and artificial intelligence to psychedelics and mental health to the future of film, with guest speakers from a variety of disciplines. There will be listening rooms with “some of the best sound systems in the world,” a roof deck, and what Phillips describes as “the largest ballroom in SoHo.” 

There will also be a culinary aspect, and the club is still talking with potential vendors about handling its food and beverage offerings.

“I don’t think there’s any version of this where we don’t have incredible food,” said Phillips.  

Lightning Society plans to begin taking membership applications prior to its spring 2026 opening. Membership fees will be announced soon, said Phillips.

Phillips sees the new club as the needed return of an aspect of New York City that has been lost.

“There used to be a huge world of social spaces in New York,” said Phillips. “It’s really important to engage with people on things outside of work. This is an opportunity to do that. This is a chance to meet like-minded people who are also fascinated by what’s happening in the world.”

According to TRD, Chetrit Organization had fallen behind on payments for the building’s $76.5 million loan from Rialto Capital, and the loan was sent to special servicing, leading Chertrit to rework the loan via a three-year extension in April of this year. The initial loan was backed by both 427 Broadway and Chetrit’s 459 Broadway.

“We’re excited to welcome Lightning Society as a tenant,” Michael Chetrit of the Chetrit Organization said in a statement. “We anticipate their presence will activate and shape a new chapter of cultural life in SoHo.”

The club’s neighbors at the building’s retail level will be Hello82, a K-pop record label with boy band artists including the groups Ateez and P1Harmony. Hello82 signed a 6,915-square-foot lease last month for space on the building’s ground floor and lower level that will serve as a store and fan engagement space.

Larry Getlen can be reached at lgetlen@commercialobserver.com