|
After years of costly delays and political infighting, the crown jewel of the new World Trade Center complex will finally be open for business Monday, welcoming its first wave of workers. About 175 employees from anchor tenant and publishing giant Condé Nast — whose employees include Vanity Fair’s Graydon Carter, Vogue’s Anna Wintour and the New Yorker’s David Remnick — will move into offices on floors 20 through 44 of the 104-floor “Freedom Tower,” officially 1 World Trade Center. Although they won’t have access to the 1,776-foot skyscraper’s breathtaking 102nd-floor observation deck before it opens in the spring, the new tenants are happy to be part of lower Manhattan’s latest chapter. “Condé Nast is proud to be a part of this important moment of renewal for the city of New York,” said Condé Nast spokeswoman Patti Rockenwagner. “We are excited about contributing to the vitality of this community for years to come.” Rockenwagner said the 3,400 staffers who are slated to move will not relocate all at once. The company is planning to move in stages from its Times Square offices with plans to fill its new home by the end of February. New Yorkers and tourists celebrated another milestone in the area’s remarkable comeback. “It’s a beautiful thing,’’ said a construction worker Sunday at the WTC site, where he has toiled or 12 years. “People were depressed from before. Now, they are more happy that they see a positive change.’’ | 
