NYU Students Take Over Office Space

We've heard of people taking up residence in commercial spaces all around the city, so hearing about NYU students living in an office space doesn't come as much of a surprise. The Times reports on some desperate measures being taken in order to live in this city.

Students on tight budgets find it especially tough to find housing. Last fall, Kate Harvey, a part-time nanny and a junior at N.Y.U., and eight friends saved on rent by camping out in vacant offices at Michael Stapleton Associates, a downtown explosive-detection security firm. For nearly three months, they told the guards at 47 West Street that they were interns, even as they trudged in near midnight or pattered through the lobby at 10 a.m. in pajamas and slippers....
...They sneaked furniture into the 11th floor on the freight elevator, squeezed three beds into the former chief executive’s office and turned filing cabinets into clothing drawers. One student pitched a tent. They brought their cat, Sula, past the front desk. They knew pets were allowed, they said, because the company had allowed bomb-sniffing dogs.

Whatever happened to sleeping in the library? There are undoubtedly plenty of stories like this one out there, a frightening fact for everyone living here or with hopes to live here. While the vacancy rate for Manhattan rentals has always been low, it is currently estimated at 3.7% and is expected to hit 2.9% by 2011. That combined with rental prices up 8.3% last year will lead people to set up camp just about anywhere.

Photo from Seinfeld's "The Nap" episode (video).

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By Jen Carlson in News on May 10, 2007 1:00 PM

Comments [rss]

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It's called a dorm!

I like making fun of people who only want to live in Manhattan as much as anyone else, but to be fair, dorms are not always an option. When I moved all my possessions here 15 years ago from far far away to start at NYU, they told me upon arrival that they had no dorm space for me. I had to find a room in 3 days and did so(way before Craig's List), but I wasn't sure if I was going to have to put my boxes in storage and start the following semester. I had nothing against outer boroughs, but at that point there was no time to explore options. My particular classes also required me to be in proximity of campus, so I wanted to stay close enough for the first year.

Also, there are plenty of non-NYU students and even lifelong New Yorkers who still shun outer boroughs. This is a reminder to be all-inclusive when insulting a particular group.

anonymous

"There is such a thing called the school gym/locker rooms"

oh thanks sarcastic asshole

homer

10: There is such a thing called the school gym/locker rooms. Nowadays you get your own shower stall (like a toilet stall, except a shower head instead of a toilet), no more homo worries.

Jason Gooljar dot com

You know I actually had this crazy idea flash in my mind. Renting office space can sometimes be cheaper. Of course it depends on location and how much space. With the housing market the way it is I bet there will be more people living in office spaces :(

Anyhow, just get a bunch of people to pool their cash together for one of those Global HQ workplaces (or the many firms who do the same thing) and viola!

anonymous

did they shower?

anon

so they had a little fun,

Why do you brooklyn commenters have such a chip on your shoulder about people not living there.. grow up.

dude

With this level of comments, why does the Gothamist allow comments at all?

To prove to their advertisers that more than 17 people read the cr*p that gets posted.

Schadenfreudian Mensch

What level of comments are we talking about? No one's calling anyone nasty names. Just rightly deserved general lack of sympathies for spoiled NYU kids that don't want to live anywhere else but Manhattan. boohoo You know there's this special place that NYU has created specially only it's students. It's called a dorm! I know it's a brand new concept that's hard to get hold of.

Enough

With this level of comments, why does the Gothamist allow comments at all?

Vinny

Yeah, God knows there are no apartments in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, or Staten Island.

Cry me a f'ing river.

um...

So a company moves to another office in the city, but they still have time remaining in their lease, so the CEO sublets his office to his daughter as living quarters.

I'm surprised the guy was willing to let this info get out in the Times like this.

Automocar

Or, you know, you can just NOT LIVE IN MANHATTAN.

Seriously, what is wrong with people?

Hipster Scum

A Commuting NYU Undergrad?

Blasphemy! We like to be near school and the Village where all the action is at! Besides we want the BEST college experience, like, ever. Thats Hella Sweet