Richard LeFrak | |
---|---|
Born | 1945 (age 78–79) New York City, U.S. |
Alma mater | Amherst College (BA) Columbia University (JD) |
Occupation | Businessman |
Spouse | Karen Tucker |
Children | 2 |
Parent | Samuel J. LeFrak (father) |
Richard S. LeFrak (born 1945) is an American billionaire businessman. He is chairman and CEO of LeFrak, a privately held, family-run company based in New York City that owns, develops, and manages real estate. He is one of the biggest landlords in the New York tri-state area. [1]
LeFrak was born in 1945 to a Jewish family [2] in New York City, one of four children of Ethel Stone and real estate developer Samuel J. LeFrak. [3] [4] LeFrak received a B.A. and graduated cum laude from Amherst College. LeFrak also holds a J.D. from Columbia University. In 1998, LeFrak received an honorary doctorate degree from Amherst College. [5]
LeFrak joined his family's real estate firm, LeFrak, in 1968. In 1975 he was appointed president. In 2003, he was elected chairman and CEO following the death of his father, Samuel J. LeFrak. [5] In 1986 LeFrak and his father began building in Jersey City, New Jersey on the site of abandoned piers and rail yards. The area is now known as Newport, a 600-acre neighborhood with 8 office buildings, 13 apartment towers, 2 hotels, an urban beach, schools, a retail mall, and parks. [6] [7]
LeFrak is also credited with leading the LeFrak organization's expansion and diversification outside of the New York area. In 2008 the company purchased a 12-story office building on Hollywood Boulevard as well as a medical building in Beverly Hills, California. [8] In 2012 LeFrak purchased a stake in a South Beach, Miami luxury mixed-use property, including a hotel formerly known as the Gansevoort. [9] The project is expected to open in early 2014 as the eco-minded 1 Hotel Homes. [10] [11]
LeFrak was ranked #16 on the Commercial Observer's Real Estate Power 100 in 2013, [12] # 20 in 2012, [13] #20 in 2011, [14] #10 in 2010, [15] #18 in 2009, [16] and #64 in 2008. [17]
LeFrak currently sits on the board of directors of the Prostate Cancer Foundation and is a member of the board of trustees of the American Museum of Natural History. [18] From 1995 to 2007, he was a board member of Smith & Wollensky. Previously, he served on the board of trustees of Amherst College and Trinity School; was a member of the New York State Banking Board; and served as director of BankUnited, Florida.[ citation needed ]
LeFrak presides over the Richard S. and Karen LeFrak Charitable Foundation, a private charity whose mission includes the support of charitable organizations. [19] [20]
Harrison has sat on the Board of Trustees of New York-Presbyterian Hospital since 2016. [21]
In 2017, St. Joseph's Chapel, the Catholic September 11 Memorial at the World Trade Center, located in the Gateway Plaza in Battery Park City, was threatened with closure due to the St. Peter's parish's reluctance or inability to pay a tripling of its rent by a management company run by LeFrak corporation and partners. [22] [23]
He is married to Karen Tucker, [24] a children's author. [25] They live in New York and Southampton. They have two sons:
LeFrak contributed $100,000 to Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign. [29] LeFrak had previously called Trump, a fellow real-estate developer, "a dear friend". [30]
Samuel J. LeFrak was an American real estate tycoon. He was a noted landlord who chaired a private building firm, the LeFrak Organization, which was ranked 45th on the Forbes list of top 500 private companies. The development firm is best known for major development projects in Battery Park City; LeFrak City in Queens; and Newport, Jersey City.
Newport is a 600-acre (2.4 km2) master-planned, mixed-use community in Downtown Jersey City, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, consisting of retail, residential, office, and entertainment facilities. The neighborhood is situated on the Hudson Waterfront on what had been the yards of Erie Railroad's Pavonia Terminal, located opposite Lower Manhattan and the neighborhood of Tribeca in New York City. Redevelopment of the neighborhood began in 1986 as a $10 billion project led by real-estate tycoon Samuel J. LeFrak and his firm The LeFrak Organization.
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