NEW YORK, THE REAL ESTATE Jerry Speyer Michael Bloomberg Stephen Ross Marc Holliday Amanda Burden Craig New- mark Lloyd Blankfein Bruce Ratner Douglas Durst Lee Bollinger Michael Alfano James Dimon David Paterson Mort Zuckerman Edward Egan Christine Quinn Arthur Zecken- dorf Miki Naftali Sheldon Solow Josef Ackermann Daniel Boyle Sheldon Silver Steve Roth Danny Meyer Dolly Lenz Robert De Niro Howard Rubinstein Leonard Litwin Robert LiMandri Howard Lorber Steven Spinola Gary Barnett Bill Rudin Ben Bernanke Dar- cy Stacom Stephen Siegel Pam Liebman Donald Trump Billy Macklowe Shaun Dono- van Tino Hernandez Kent Swig James Cooper Robert Tierney Ian Schrager Lee Sand- er Hall Willkie Dottie Herman Barry Gosin David Jackson Frank Gehry Albert Behler Joseph Moinian Charles Schumer Jonathan Mechanic Larry Silverstein Adrian Benepe Charles Stevenson Jr. Michael Fascitelli Frank Bruni Avi Schick Andre Balazs Marc Jacobs Richard LeFrak Chris Ward Lloyd Goldman Bruce Mosler Robert Ivanhoe Rob Speyer Ed Ott Peter Riguardi Scott Latham Veronica Hackett Robert Futterman Bill Goss Dennis DeQuatro Norman Oder David Childs James Abadie Richard Lipsky Paul del Nunzio Thomas Friedan Jesse Masyr Tom Colicchio Nicolai Ourouso! Marvin Markus Jonathan Miller Andrew Berman Richard Brodsky Lockhart Steele David Levinson Joseph Sitt Joe Chan Melissa Cohn Steve Cuozzo Sam Chang David Yassky Michael Shvo 100The 100 Most Powerful People in New York Real Estate Bloomberg, Trump, Ratner, De Niro, the Guy Behind Craigslist! They’re All Among Our 100 Most Powerful People in New York Real Estate ower. Webster’s Dictionary defines power as booster; No. 15 Edward Egan, the Catholic archbish- Governor David Paterson (No. 13) were the only Af- … No, no, no, never mind that: Power in New op of New York with all that church property under rican-Americans on the list. PYork City real estate means money—its acqui- his purview). And Ms. Lenz, the broker, was the highest-ranking sition, spending and creation—especially now, as The criterion also helps explain why we didn’t woman in private industry. She was joined by just the market enters a tremulous sunset after several rank any brokers until No. 25 Dolly Lenz, probably eight other women. bright, shiny years. the most successful residential broker in the U.S. Also, the list, as you might expect for one based Our list of the 100 Most Powerful People in New Why? However capable and ingenious in the com- on money and its management, was heavy on ex- York Real Estate was assembled with this finance- missioned service of those spending the capital, treme wealth, even by New York standards, includ- centric criterion at the forefront. The list, especially brokers are facilitators for the likes of Messrs. Durst ing both inherited (Kent Swig, Rob Speyer, Billy higher up, contains those who animate the deals and and Speyer (or of Messrs. De Niro and Egan, for that Macklowe, Donald Trump and Bill Rudin) and the trends. They are the deciders and the money pro- matter). They are not the initiators. self-created (Mort Zuckerman, Joseph Moinian, viders. They make the real estate world the rest of us The same holds for public o!cials, including the Leonard Litwin and Larry Silverstein). live in; or cover, as the case may be. mighty Michael Bloomberg (No. 2). They seem to be There were, however, a fair amount of almost- This criterion explains why some people were at their best for real estate either facilitating its de- from-nothing entrepreneurs splashed across the obvious picks (financiers like No. 20 Josef Acker- velopment or standing clear of its ascendancy. That list: Lockhart Steele, No. 91, publisher of the Curbed mann and No. 7 Lloyd Blankfein; developers like No. is, obstructionist or helper; and Mr. Bloomberg’s Network of blogs; Michael Shvo, No. 100, Manhattan 1 Jerry Speyer and No. 9 Douglas Durst; landlords administration has done very little of the former and luxury marketing in the meticulously tanned flesh; like No. 33 Bill Rudin and No. 66 Lloyd Goldman); a lot of the latter. Craig Newmark, No. 6, that guy in glasses from San and why some picks weren’t so obvious initially (No. Finally, a few observations about the top 100. Francisco who has all the brokers frightened for 58 Charles Stevenson, the co-op board president It, like the upper echelons of New York real estate, their livelihoods; Keith McNally, No. 90, the hotel at 740 Park; No. 26 Robert De Niro, perhaps the was whiter than East Hampton’s, well, white pages: bellhop who became a restaurant deity; and on … greatest living actor who became Tribeca’s greatest David Jackson (No. 50), the CEO of Istithmar, and Who knows who’ll make it next year? LOCATION THE 100 OBSERVER.COM/REALESTATE LOCATION THE 100 OBSERVER.COM/REALESTATE Green. The firm, BRUCE RATNER tem?), Mr. Di- the city, the fi- $5.8 billion loan to help pay for his $7 DOLLY LENZ ROBERT with 67 proper- Chairman of Forest City mon’s firm has nal stop is the billion purchase of seven Manhattan Vice Chairman of LIMANDRI ties scattered 8Ratner Companies deep tentacles City Council. skyscrapers in February 2007. A year 25 Prudential 29 Acting Commissioner across New York in the real es- The fate of bil- later, Mr. Macklowe couldn’t a"ord Douglas Elliman of the Department of Buildings and Connecti- The leader of what tate industry lions of dollars’ to pay back Deutsche. So the German cut, has recently is perhaps New in New York, worth of devel- bank took control of the buildings in a This broker, Mr. LiMandri took over in April from made forays be- York’s most high- whether as a opment will be tentative deal. n i c k n a m e d the embattled Patricia Lancaster, yond its bread- profile develop- lender or as a determined by “Jaws” by Dennis and has found himself on the prover- and-butter port- ment, the con- landlord: Many Ms. Quinn and DANIEL BOYLE Kozlowski, says bial hot seat amid concerns over a folio of Class B troversy magnet are waiting to the Council in Chairman of the New York she has made spike in construction worker deaths buildings. Along with a minority Atlantic Yards, see what becomes of Bear Stea- just the coming months. 21 State Liquor Authority $ 74 8 , 3 1 9,0 0 0 and general construction safety, fol- Canadian partner, SL Green made Bruce Ratner is rns’ old headquarters at 383 Mad- in a single year, lowing a March crane collapse in the last giant building purchase one of the most ac- ison, a building valued at well ARTHUR The future of this “city that never which would be Turtle Bay, which killed seven. of 2007, the $1.6 billion purchase tive developers in over $1 billion. ZECKENDORF sleeps” rests with the former Syra- four times high- of Citigroup’s 388-390 Greenwich the city, often pursuing large, publicly 17 Owner and Co-chairman cuse cop, who has lent a more sym- er than the sec- HOWARD LORBER Chairman of Pruden- Street downtown. administered projects. He’s recently DAVID PATERSON of Zeckendorf Realty pathetic ear to long-ignored local ond-biggest broker in America. taken a liking to famous architects, en- Governor of community boards, frustrating res- She’s the killer whose ambition 30 tial Douglas Elliman suring that his developments leave a He decided to do taurateurs and bar operators city- and contact list helped push Man- AMANDA BURDEN 13 New York State Mr. Lorber, fond JERRY SPEYER Chair, City Planning notable impression on the skyline. a study on lime- wide. There are plenty of hassles be- hattan into its—waning?—era of Chairman and CEO of If a New York stone, and now sides getting a liquor license—but eight-digit opulence. of lunches at 5Commission; Director, Cipriani’s, heads 1Tishman Speyer Department of City Planning DOUGLAS DURST City develop- about 85,000 just try paying rent without one. Co-president of the Durst ment project chunks of Indi- ROBERT DE NIRO the largest resi- Mr. Speyer may lack Donald Any major land- 9Organization costs more than ana limestone, of SHELDON SILVER Co-founder of Tribeca dential brokerage Trump’s bluster, but the titan sealed use change in the $1 billion, chanc- the sort used to Speaker of the New 26 Enterprises in the New York the most expensive residential pur- city must pass His Bank of es are it falls un- build the Empire 22 York State Assembly area, Prudential chase in history ($5.4 billion for over Ms. Bur- America Tower der the gover- State Building, Call it a Rag- Douglas Elliman. Stuyvesant Town and Cooper Vil- den’s desk—if it is the most suc- nor’s scope. To make up 15 Cen- As one of the ing Bull Market lage); owns the MetLife and Chrys- didn’t originate cessful new of- name a few that tral Park West. And thanks to that “three men in a downtown, with STEVEN SPINOLA President of the Real Es- ler buildings and Rockefeller Cen- there in the first fice building in the state con- condo, developed by Mr. Zeckendorf room” in Albany, Travis Bickle in tate Board of New York ter; and very nearly won the right to place. She has town, and it hap- trols or administers: Moynihan and older brother William Lie, stony Sheldon Silver the driver’s seat, 31 develop the West Side rail yards. presided over 82 pens to be the Station, the World Trade Center, primness is in, sparkly glitz is out. wields tremen- as the famous ac- most sustain- dous power over tor is planning an- Mr.