POOR ANNA WINDOW SHOPPING
Crud ruining mag's WTC views
Condé Nast’s rat problem at its 1 World Trade Center hub was so bad Anna Wintour would refuse to step one pedicured toe in her office — but, hey, at least they had their views.
Not anymore. The building’s windows are so covered in muck, workers can hardly see outside, the company claims in new court papers.
“Most of the windows in Condé Nast’s space are dirty and not transparent, preventing its employees from being able to enjoy their space in the manner consistent with high rents outlaid by Condé Nast,” according to the claim, which was filed against the Port Au- thority of New York & New Jersey and The Durst Organization.
The magazine company moved into the majestic new downtown tower in 2014, after signing a $1.9 billion, 25-year lease for 1.1 million square feet on floors 20 through 44.
They had trouble from the start. They suffered from a near plague of rats — which got so bad that the Vogue editrix forced a lackey to inspect her office for vermin before she would enter.
Then there was just plain bad luck. A visitor to the company jammed one of the building’s elevators when she got her Christian Louboutin stiletto stuck in it.
The suit says since moving in, most of the windows have not been cleaned, even though Condé Nast has paid $1.2 million in glass-cleaning fees over the past two years.
“I mean, there looks like there is s--t on the windows,” one female staffer said on Tuesday.
“Ugh. Yeah, it looks like someone smeared dirt from the outside of the window,” griped another Condé Nast employee.
And the windows aren’t just dirty — they’re cracked and in need of repair, photographs show.
“Despite our client’s repeated requests, the Port Authority and Durst refuse to resolve this significant and growing problem,” said Condé Nast attorney Marc Kasowitz.
He has filed a notice of claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, against the PA for a return of the window-washing fees. He has sent a similar notice to The Durst Organization.
A spokesman for The Durst Organization said that the building’ s original window-maintenance machine failed. In November 2014, two window washers were left hanging outside the 69th floor for more than an hour when a cable on their rig malfunctioned. Firefighters rescued them.
The Durst spokesman, Jordan Barowitz, said the company hoped to have the problem resolved soon.
“A temporary window-washing unit will be in place by the end of the summer and new permanent rigs will be finished in 2018,” he said.