Not Luxurious Enough

By STEPHANY CHUNG

The three-word description on the black oversized awning by the main entrance of Herald Towers, a condominium apartment in Herald Square reads “Luxury Rental Building,” yet some residents question if they are really living in luxury.

           

The former name of Herald Towers was Hotel McApin. Based on The New York Times, when the building was built in 1912, it was “considered the largest hotel in the world and it also attempted to outdo its predecessors.”

This year is the 100^th anniversary of Herald Towers. Instead of celebrating its anniversary, some residents continue to deal with management problems in their apartment.

“They [Herald Towers] should try to fix it [apartment] up so that it looks like a premium apartment building so tenants wont have maintenance issues,” said anonymous. “I had leaks in the ceiling. I had toilets that were blocked. I had a dishwater that didn’t work. I had an intercom that didn't work. I had constant maintenance issues for the first couple of months, ” said a one-year resident who wished to remain anonymous.

When JEMB Realty Corp. bought the property in 2001 and changed the name to Herald Towers, the building was restored.

According to Melissa, 28, the System Property Manager of Herald Towers, the building converted to condominium apartments.

“It was renovated in 2001 and that’s when they generally did everything,” stated Melissa.  

It has been ten years since the renovation but some residents want to see improvements being made.

“It’s [the building] kind of old. The kitchens aren’t redone. I feel like the lights are always breaking. The sinks are always clogging. The drains are always clogging. The bathtubs are always clogging. Things are clogging. It’s not updated,” stated Lauren, 29, resident for five years.

Herald Towers consist of three towers aligned right next to each other. The windows of many of these apartments face toward another tower so some residents would not have much of a view nor would receive much sunlight.

Twitter: @HeraldTowers

Other problems are noted.

“This [building] is the not following the [fire] department’s standards so the building has problems” stated a resident of 12 years who wish to remain anonymous.

Since the building’s neighborhood is one of the tourist hubs of New York City, some residents complain about the noise.

“I think it’s [apartment in Herald Square] pretty noisy compared to other apartments. I can hear the subway [trains below the building],” stated Lisa Lee, a resident for one-and-half years and an international undergraduate student. She also noted that it is distracting to hear people talking in the hallways.

Management costs are included in the rent but there are a few exceptions. According to Dave Tien, 60, a mechanic at Herald Towers for 25 years, if residents ask the management office to send a mechanic to change the two light bulbs of one lamp on the high ceilings, resident must provide round fluorescent bulbs and pay $50 to Herald Towers.

“We’re not a hotel. We [residents] have to pay,” said Tien.