Sam Charney

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Sam Charney is an American businessman and founder of Charney Companies. He is also an art collector.

Contents

Career

From 2004 to 2012, Charney worked as a project executive for Two Trees Management, developing over 1 million square feet of office space and housing; he also co-founded Two Tree's construction company GreenStar Builders. [1] [2] [3] Charney’s first development project, the rehabilitation of an 1859 warehouse at 164 Atlantic Avenue, won a Brooklyn Building Award for best adaptive reuse. [4]

He founded his own real estate firm, Charney Companies, in 2013. [3] [5] As his first solo project, he “took all the equity [he] had saved up and bought a piece of land in Long Island City.” [2] This lot later became The Jackson Condominium, an 11-story development near MoMA PS1 that features a lobby mosaic wall designed by Tom Fruin. [3] [6] [7]

He currently serves as Principal at Charney Co., [8] developing over 2 million mixed-use square feet in Long Island City, Williamsburg, and Gowanus. [1] [5]

Charney sits on the boards of the Brooklyn Museum, Queens Museum, and Pursuit, a nonprofit focused on adult education and job training, as well as the facilities committee of the Brooklyn Public Library. [8] [5] [9] [10] He is also an art collector. [8] His collection includes works by Honor Titus, Shepard Fairey, Keith Haring, Kaws, JR, Swoon, Banksy, Marc Chagall, Louise Nevelson, and Alexander Calder. [5]

Sam Charney received the Developer of the Year award at the RED Residential Awards in New York City in October 2025, recognizing his leadership and impact in real estate development through Charney Companies. [11]

Personal life

Charney grew up in Manhattan and attended the Dalton School. [12] While in high school, he was an errand boy for a Soho gallery; the experience led him to pursue a major in art history, with an emphasis on street art. [5]

After graduating from Bates College, Charney enrolled in the Harvard Graduate School of Design. [4] He received a Master's from New York University. [3]

In 2012, he was awarded the NYU Award for Humanitarianism for his work with blind athletes. [13] He was included on Crain's 2022 Notable Leaders in Real Estate. [8]

Charney is a Democrat and has made donations to Eric Adams’ mayoral re-election campaign. [14]

References

  1. 1 2 "Sam Charney". Real Deal. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  2. 1 2 Tim McKeough (February 19, 2016). "Industrially Inspired Condominium in Long Island City". New York Times. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Nikolai Fedak (April 4, 2014). "Interview with the Developer: Sam Charney". YIMBY. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Emily Nonko. "The Hot Seat: Sam Charney". Brownstoner. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Lee Carter (January 9, 2024). "How Real Estate Mogul Sam Charney Built His Eclectic Art Collection From the Ground Up". Artnet. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  6. ↑ Ondel Hylton (February 22, 2016). "Pricing and Renderings Released for the Jackson, Industrial-Inspired Condo in Long Island City". 6sqft. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  7. ↑ Tanay Warerkar (April 28, 2017). "Long Island City's art-inspired condo The Jackson debuts a model apartment". Curbed. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Notable Leaders in Real Estate 2022". Crain's. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Advisors". Brooklyn Museum. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  10. ↑ Museum, Queens. "Queens Museum | Sam Charney and Jim Paladino Join the Queens Museum's Board of Trustees". Queens Museum | Sam Charney and Jim Paladino Join the Queens Museum’s Board of Trustees. Retrieved 2025-07-16.
  11. ↑ "2025 RED Residential Awards in New York City – ENC NEWS" . Retrieved 2025-10-31.
  12. ↑ "Dalton Connects Real Estate and Technology Networking Event". Dalton School. October 17, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Sam Charney". Multifamily Forum. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Real estate titans write checks for Eric Adams' campaign, legal defense". Real Deal. January 18, 2024. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
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