Fab Abs

(Fab Abs is not meant to be confused with Ab Fab Tourre. Not directly, anyway.)

Goldman Sachs's New Palace Creates Princes, Serfs

Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s new headquarters in lower Manhattan has the kind of amenities befitting masters of Wall Street. The $2.1 billion steel-and-glass building has giant murals, opera-house ceiling heights, and a gym with overachiever fitness classes, like "Awesome Abs."

The company has been secretive about its new headquarters, especially as it tries to counter criticism that has hurt the company's sterling image [sic].

But a new class of haves and have-nots has emerged—even at Goldman where the notion of have-nots is relative.

"I haven't had a desk like this since high school," said one employee who asked not to be named.

"If I had been at a bench my whole life, it would be fine," said one vice president, "but I used to have an office."

Goldman broke ground in 2005. The construction was plagued with problems. In 2007, seven tons of steel fell off the 740-foot-tall building, paralyzing an architect on the ground. Then a sheet of steel plummeted from the 18th floor. [Metaphor for credit time line and bust?]