21 Oct Rumors about Smith Tower residents put to rest

I’ve heard that the current owners of the Smith Tower are hoping to convert the building to apartments, so they’re raising rents to get rid of their office tenants.

I’ve also heard that it’s not possible to turn them into apartments, and the Smith Tower is just unusually vacant.

But even more rumors seem to swirl around the very top of the Smith Tower and who might live there. Is it still inhabited by a member of the Smith family? Is it an old woman with dozens of cats? Are there really kids up there?

An article by New York Times writer Michael Tortorello intends to finally set the record straight:

WHEN Ms. Franklin first visited the Smith Tower in 1997, the apartment had been empty for more than 10 years — and for good reason. “There was a huge water tower that was being taken out,” she said. “And there were big piles of concrete. There weren’t stairs, there were ladders to get from floor to floor. And you’d be living among amazing dust. When it rained, the rain all came in. It was like standing inside of a river.”

What the Smith Tower really needed, Ms. Franklin decided, was a newly expanded two-story dwelling. Two bedrooms and two baths could be squeezed onto the 37th floor, and an open living room/kitchen/dining room would fill the 38th. Naturally, this fantastic 1,750-square-foot apartment would need an occupant: herself.

But she’s not the only occupant, as the article points out. The Pyramid is also occupied by her husband, David Lahaie, and her two kids, ages 3 and 6.

(image credit)

And although rumors of the Smith Tower Pyramid inhabitants can now be laid to rest, it seems that two mysteries will still remain: who used to live there, and how long this family of four will be allowed to stay.