William Zeckendorf, Jr.
| William Zeckendorf Jr. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
October 31, 1929 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | February 12, 2014 (aged 84) Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Respiratory failure |
| Occupation | Real estate developer |
| Spouse(s) | Guri Lie (divorced) Nancy King |
| Children |
with Lie: --William Lie Zeckendorf --Arthur William Zeckendorf |
| Parent(s) | Irma Levy Zeckendorf William Zeckendorf |
William Zeckendorf Jr. (October 31, 1929 – February 12, 2014) was an American real estate developer. Son of William Zeckendorf Sr., he was the second of three generations of one of New York’s great real estate dynasties. While keeping a lower profile than his famously flamboyant father, Zeckendorf Jr. was highly successful in his own right. Like his father, he became known for large-scale projects that transformed neighborhoods.
The New York Times called Zeckendorf Jr. Manhattan’s “most active real estate developer” in 1986. At the time he was a partner in 20 projects worth well over $1bn.
William Zeckendorf Jr. was born on October 31, 1929 in New York City. Raised in Manhattan, he received his early education at the Collegiate School and graduated from the Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, in 1948. He studied for two years at the University of Arizona in Tucson before enlisting in the U.S. Army He served as an intelligence officer during the Korean War.
Following his discharge from the army in 1953, Zeckendorf joined his father’s company, Webb & Knapp, working alongside Zeckendorf Sr. on such high-profile developments as Century City in Los Angeles, Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, and L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C. After Webb & Knapp went bankrupt in 1965, Zeckendorf Jr. restructured the company as General Property Corporation. In 1972, he went out on his own, founding Zeckendorf Company and serving as president until he retired in 1992. In the 1980s, the company emerged as one of New York City’s most prominent developers of luxury hotels, upscale condominium apartments, office towers, and mixed-use projects.
In the 1970s, Zeckendorf began buying undervalued hotels, renovating them, and then selling them at a profit. For one hotel, Mayfair House, he persuaded Sirio Maccioni to open Le Cirque, which quickly became one of New York’s top restaurants, cementing the restaurateur’s reputation. Zeckendorf's other hotel renovations of that era include the Hotel McAlpin, the Statler Hilton, and the Delmonico, where he brought in Christie’s Auction House, leasing the English firm their first stateside location, and where and his wife Nancy lived for many years. In the 1980s, Zeckendorf turned from renovations to building major developments from the ground up. Anxious to avoid the financial difficulties of his father, he spread the risk by recruiting multiple partners.
...
Wikipedia