Is this the resurgence of 1020?

After years of 1020’s downward spiral (other than freshmen without fakes during NSOP), the bar is making a comeback thanks to the class of ’28. 

For those unfamiliar, here’s the lore: In 2021, the Columbia Spectator reported allegations of sexual harassment against 1020’s co-owner Michael McKiernan. Female bartenders claimed McKiernan pressured them to drink, fabricated stories about his past (such as being a prosecutor in Brown v. Board of Education or winning a Grammy), and made inappropriate advances, including inviting them to his apartment and greeting one in just his underwear. Another source claimed that she was told that she wasn’t allowed to have a boyfriend while working at 1020 because McKiernan saw every girl working there as his girlfriend. The overwhelming pattern from all interviewees was that he preyed on young, underaged Columbia students who needed money. 

In August 2023, the bar closed following a Marshal’s Legal Possession notice to repossess the property after allegedly being two years behind paying rent and distributors. The blog I Love the Upper West Side (ILTUWS) also reported that McKiernan was said to have been arrested for grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. 

In December 2023, 1020 Bar’s Instagram posted that they were open again under new ownership, though it is unclear who the new owners are. Recently, an image showed what appears to be dozens of college students gathered around 1020, marking a lively resurgence. 

Could this be the beginning of the comeback of 1020? 

Image via Barstool Columbia