In a luxury high-rise residential area in the financial center of Manhattan (New York, USA), residents say they are living in “high-rise hell”. Because the elevator has long expired, nearly half a year has not been able to fix the problem that has turned their work and life upside down.
The once crowded, luxurious residential tower
City Bank – Agricultural Trust Company building at 20 Exchange Square has 59 floors and more than 750 apartments. Most of the building was converted into a residential area in the mid-2000s, allowing the public to see the opulent foyer firsthand.
When completed in 1931, it was one of the tallest buildings in New York City. In fact, City Bank was the tallest stone facade building in the world at the time, and was dubbed the “financial giant”.
20 Exchange Square has a prime location. Photo: Internet
20 Exchange Place was born with a modern art deco façade with 14 “financial giants” sketching the outside of the 19th floor. The building’s corridor is designed in the style of a dome; elegant vaulted ceilings decorated with gold, silver and bronze.
The entrance to the building is decorated with replicas of coins from around the world, representing the countries where the National City Bank (later Citibank) opened branches.
The 59-storey tower at 20 Exchange Square is currently a “busy residential area” with more than 750 apartments with luxurious amenities and harbor views.
“Hell” in the middle of the financial center
The skyscraper has been affected by a prolonged elevator failure since November 2021. According to residents, elevator service on the 15th floor is regularly interrupted, this situation will last for a long time. few hours.
According to New York City data, they received 25,376 elevator malfunction complaints in 2021. Currently, a one-bedroom apartment in 20 Exchange Square costs upwards of $5,000. As a result, residents are particularly outraged by the ongoing elevator breakdown.
In face-to-face and email interviews with The New York Times, residents expressed that they are living in “hell”. Many people are forced to cancel plans, miss appointments, be late for work, even consider moving house.
Faisal Al Mutar, 30, said: “The moment these elevators stopped working, our lives changed completely. He now lives in a studio on the 22nd floor.
Nurse Erin Campbell recently struggled to walk home from the 48th floor after a 12-hour shift due to an elevator malfunction. She said: “I am young and in good physical condition, so I climbed 48 floors and came home still miserable.”
People often have to climb stairs. Photo: Internet
“I’m a nurse and I don’t have a choice: I have to go to work,” Erin Campbell said. She recalls coming home often to find the elevator broken. Once she got home at 8:30pm and the doorman said the elevator might not work until around 11pm.
Not having an elevator is particularly difficult for all residents especially those in need of medical attention. The nurse expressed her concern when neighbors are not physically fit and in an emergency, people may face delays in rescue.
Unsolved problem
The building’s owner, DTH Capital, said it had stepped in to resolve the issues. Accordingly, the most likely cause is an increase in electrical equipment. The owners said they hired teams with elevator, electrical and engineering expertise to get to the bottom of the problem.
In a statement, the power company said: “To date, we have not been able to obtain any satisfactory explanation as to why the elevator problems occurred. Since the beginning of the installation of the system, system, the elevator problem kept popping up.”
The building’s owners said the elevator’s control panel suffered frequent short-circuits and had to be replaced frequently, and that they hired an elevator mechanic to do on-site repairs 24 hours a day. They said they also tried to bulk buy working circuit boards, but were stymied by supply chain issues.
The situation is still ongoing. Photo: Internet
Property management firm Rose Associates will take over management of the building after residents complained about how First Service Resident handled elevator issues. Phone system 311 lists dozens of complaints about the building’s elevators.
Landlords say they have found a solution to renting out some hotel rooms and fully furnished apartments on lower floors or in another building nearby. Others offer rental incentives.
However, many people are still considering ending their contracts early to move to another more comfortable apartment.
According to Aboluowang, Commercial Observer
at Blogtuan.info – Source: Soha.vn – Read the original article here
