Doormen Are Putting Your Secrets on the Internet

He's Tweeting behind his back. (Flickr user minusbaby)

High-rise residents might want to watch out for the threatened doorman strike, or maybe just be a little nicer to the guys carrying their groceries, because doormen are on the Internet! New York Magazine has a whole feature today on building workers who decide not to keep their resident's indiscretions a secret.

Two such workers have found their voice on BrickUnderground, a website dedicated to "vertical living." The website introduced their "Elevator Man" column this week, written by an anonymous elevator worker in Manhattan. The first post tackles such insufferable residents as the lady who can't hear the elevator ring from 20 floors away and the woman who wants him to mail a letter for her. The nerve!

The other column is by "Openthedoor-man," who dishes on everything from whom residents bring home to what they find in their trash. One recent post mentions a handyman who "found an adult toy belonging to one of the residents in the building. Further curiosity had the handyman pry a little more and he finally found out which resident it belonged to. Needless to say, the staff has forever seen this person differently."

Paul Gottsegen of Halstead Management told New York that this behavior is unacceptable. "If the staff can’t handle it and keep [things] private, they’re in the wrong business." Though Lawyer Steven Wagner says residents should know better and treat their doormen with respect, saying, "It would be foolish to assume the things you do or say in front of your doorman carries an expectation of privacy." When contacted, the Realty Advisory Board had no comment on the situation other than "We do not gossip." They might be misinformed.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jaya Saxena in News on April 5, 2010 2:08 PM

Comments [rss]

Darrell

My favorite tale from one of these doorman blogs was about this rich wall street guy who would constantly bring in these like 6 foot tall black transexual hookers into his building. There was another one about some drug dealer in a penthouse that gave the doorman some soft drug (weed) trafficking work.

As for the issue of privacy, I'm split, you don't want your doorman telling the world about your bad day, but if you've got a meth habit or whatever, why put yourself in the position where the workers of the building would easily find out?

Of course, I don't live in a doorman building, so lucky me.

VorneliusCanderbilt

If my doorman told any of my secrets... I'd have my butler go into the maid's room, grab her and my driver out of bed, and make all 3 of them head down to the parlor and hatch a plan to rip off his white gloves, and destroy him at our next charity polo match... indubitably...

Guest

translation: "i'd kick his ass. indubitably."

kafkask

waa waa

kafkask

i/waa waa

kafkask

Um, an adult toy is hardly out of the ordinary these days.

Doorman buildings. What a waste. I have a friend on the UES who lives in one. She pays double what I do for an apartment that isn't as nice. All for an UES address and a guy who opens the door for you, whether you need help of not.

Guest

doormen buildings are a completely antiquated idea--it used to be in style until the 80's. it may still be a good idea for old ladies.

i mean, seriously, an awkward convo like this at 4 am:

doorman: "welcome back, sir. did you have fun?"

me: "hell fucking yeah! i was in 7 different bars and clubs and all these ladies were like... WOW!"