The skyscraper is currently still under construction at the Ground Zero site but is due for completion in 2013. When finished 1 WTC will be exactly 1,776 feet tall, a number designed to recall America’s Declaration of Independence in the year 1776.
When finished the building will be the tallest in the US. Conde Nast is understood to have been in talks for approximately the last year about leasing one million square feet in the building.
The leasing deal will see the publishing house pay approximately USD 2 billion over 25 years. The Port Authority will take a vote on whether to approve the deal on May 26th.
Conde Nast Chief Financial Officer John Bellando said: “We are close to concluding lease negotiations, and are hopeful that a move to 1 World Trade Center will be a catalyst for transforming downtown.”
Currently, Conde Nast, which publishes the New Yorker and Vanity Fair, is headquartered in Midtown at 4 Times Square Tower.
See examples of Offices for Rent in Midtown Manhattan
It has been reported that on the move to 1 WTC Conde Nast will switch to an open-plan office environment, giving up the partitioned sections and private offices that the publishing house now uses.
Many such private offices are said to have their own personal showers and bathrooms.
One anonymous employee of the publishing house told the New York Post that office space is an important issue at Conde Nast and is seen as a reflection of one’s status in the company.
“I think it will be horribly received in many parts of the building,” the sources said of the new office plan.
Editor’s notes: Conde Nast went on to complete the office leasing deal at 1 WTC and, as of June 2023, rented office space in the building.
Other tenants include Vantone, New York City Authorities. as well as flex space providers Durst Ready and Servcorp.
Both of the providers offer a range of turnkey private offices, desk spaces in coworking offices, business lounges and hireable meeting rooms.