I use to work in the Empire State building. There were stories about from tenants that in the mid 90's the building was pretty much empty and the rents per sq/foot of office space was 75% less then an apartment.
So there are stories about people renting office space to live in. They'd also have a gym membership to use the shower and they'd save a ton of money.
Have you ever noticed how there are fortune tellers occupying prime storefronts all over the city? The places with a little chair behind the window and a thick curtain? I never saw anybody ever go in or out of those places. I asked a prosecutor friend whether these places are fronts for prostitution or drugs. Turns out the fortune teller stores are actually being used as homes for entire families. They cordone off a tiny area for palm-reading and live in rest of the space. It's a really cheap (and super illegal) way for a family to live in Manhattan.
I recall reading from somewhere, probably on HN, that a lot of banks open up storefronts primarily as a means of shifting money around into different instruments, not because they actually need or want people to do business at that banking location.
This has been going on for eternity and still does. The catch is that it's illegal and if the fire inspectors get wind of it you can have a very sudden and unpleasant removal from your "apartment"
So there are stories about people renting office space to live in. They'd also have a gym membership to use the shower and they'd save a ton of money.