In April 2010, news of a potential doorman and door-woman strike broke in the New York City media. Following successful labor negotiations, the strike was averted at the eleventh hour.
Washington, D.C. does not have nearly the same number of door persons as New York City, but many buildings offer concierge services, a position that offers some security elements and could best be described as an upscale front desk attendant. Thousands of residents interact with their concierges and door persons each day, but very few get to know each other on a personal level.
I rent an efficiency apartment in the South Building of the Quebec House apartments in Cleveland Park. The complex employs concierges, all of whom are contracted through the Capitol Concierge company. The job description, as seen on their website, is rather vague- it is summed up as one who “acts as part of your team, building relationships and communicating with residents and tenants to understand and foresee their needs.” At Quebec House, they screen visitors, alert residents to packages and large deliveries, order taxis, greet residents, liaise between the rental office and potential renters, and facilitate maintenance requests, among other random tasks. I've been greeted by Chris Jones many times while entering and exiting the building and was curious to learn how he became a concierge.
Like so many Americans in 2009, Jones was seeking work due to the recession. Following the closure of a franchised cell phone store he managed, his karate teacher mentioned a friend who worked for a concierge company. Twenty-one year old Jones currently works roughly 35 hours per week in an effort to support himself and his two-year-old daughter. She lives ten minutes away from his North East D.C. apartment with his ex-girlfriend and her mother.
A local branch of the Service Employees International Union (the same union which threatened to strike in New York City) serves the D.C. area but Jones was unaware of its existence at the time of this interview. He said that Capitol Concierge never spoke of the union when he was hired and he seemed apathetic about the possibility of joining. He expressed satisfaction with the benefits that he currently receives through Capitol Concierge and questioned aloud the ways in which joining a union would benefit he and his daughter.
A lifelong resident of Washington, D.C., Jones described himself as an “old soul” who spends much of his free time on YouTube studying martial arts techniques. He is a passionate karate student who currently holds a yellow belt and also retains a deep devotion to football, the sport he played throughout his childhood. Over the past few years, he has vastly streamlined his diet in accordance with martial arts teachings, eliminating soda, alcohol, white bread, and other fatty foods, and he exercises regularly. Jones hopes to earn a college degree one day as a nutritionist for professional football players, but has no plans to enroll in college at this time.
Because he rarely drinks alcohol or frequents bars and clubs, Jones peruses various dating sites and MySpace in an effort to meet women, though he shared that he has not had much luck on these sites. He described his personal life as happily dominated by time spent with his large family and daughter, and hopes to have a son one day with whom to share his love of football and to pass on the family name.
View Quebec House Apartments in a larger map
Washington, D.C. does not have nearly the same number of door persons as New York City, but many buildings offer concierge services, a position that offers some security elements and could best be described as an upscale front desk attendant. Thousands of residents interact with their concierges and door persons each day, but very few get to know each other on a personal level.
I rent an efficiency apartment in the South Building of the Quebec House apartments in Cleveland Park. The complex employs concierges, all of whom are contracted through the Capitol Concierge company. The job description, as seen on their website, is rather vague- it is summed up as one who “acts as part of your team, building relationships and communicating with residents and tenants to understand and foresee their needs.” At Quebec House, they screen visitors, alert residents to packages and large deliveries, order taxis, greet residents, liaise between the rental office and potential renters, and facilitate maintenance requests, among other random tasks. I've been greeted by Chris Jones many times while entering and exiting the building and was curious to learn how he became a concierge.
Like so many Americans in 2009, Jones was seeking work due to the recession. Following the closure of a franchised cell phone store he managed, his karate teacher mentioned a friend who worked for a concierge company. Twenty-one year old Jones currently works roughly 35 hours per week in an effort to support himself and his two-year-old daughter. She lives ten minutes away from his North East D.C. apartment with his ex-girlfriend and her mother.
A local branch of the Service Employees International Union (the same union which threatened to strike in New York City) serves the D.C. area but Jones was unaware of its existence at the time of this interview. He said that Capitol Concierge never spoke of the union when he was hired and he seemed apathetic about the possibility of joining. He expressed satisfaction with the benefits that he currently receives through Capitol Concierge and questioned aloud the ways in which joining a union would benefit he and his daughter.
A lifelong resident of Washington, D.C., Jones described himself as an “old soul” who spends much of his free time on YouTube studying martial arts techniques. He is a passionate karate student who currently holds a yellow belt and also retains a deep devotion to football, the sport he played throughout his childhood. Over the past few years, he has vastly streamlined his diet in accordance with martial arts teachings, eliminating soda, alcohol, white bread, and other fatty foods, and he exercises regularly. Jones hopes to earn a college degree one day as a nutritionist for professional football players, but has no plans to enroll in college at this time.
Because he rarely drinks alcohol or frequents bars and clubs, Jones peruses various dating sites and MySpace in an effort to meet women, though he shared that he has not had much luck on these sites. He described his personal life as happily dominated by time spent with his large family and daughter, and hopes to have a son one day with whom to share his love of football and to pass on the family name.
View Quebec House Apartments in a larger map
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