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Photo: Fearless Window Washer Freaks Out Office Across The Street
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 15, 2013
Modified Jul 15, 2013
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Courtesy Peter Shankman
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 15, 2013
Modified Jul 15, 2013
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This morning we received a nerve-wracking photo of a Chelsea window washer from one Peter Shankman, founder of Shankman Honig. He told us that his "entire office is glued to the window to see if he slips," and that from his vantage point it appeared the window washer had no harness, rig, or safety equipment.
The windows in question belong to Chelsea Tower, a 34 story residential building on 26th Street. Shankman says that his office observed the man on the 25th floor "going to different apartments, opening the windows, stepping outside the windows, washing them, and going back inside. I'm a skydiver and I was freaked out. He was just holding onto the window frame. More power to him, but that's ballsy."
Here's a closer look:
(Courtesy Peter Shankman)
However, Gary Rappaport, General Counsel to Chelsea Tower, insists the worker was in fact wearing a harness. "To our eyes the man is wearing a harness, we insist on them wearing a harness, and that photo was taken from quite some distance away," Rappaport told us. Elaborating on the harness, he said, "It's a step-in type of harness with a belt buckle and strap that goes over his shoulders, and anchors him to the apartment door through a rope that's safety tested. He's tethered to go, and if something were to happen to him, he'd fall about two feet."
So it looks like this guy still holds the title of ballsiest window washer in NYC:
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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