In their words... “I just oversee and make sure they don’t do anything totally stupid.”
▼
Jeffrey Gural, on letting his younger relatives take control at the family company, Newmark Holdings. (Wall Street Journal)
“[It was like] pushing Jell-O up a hill with a fork.” Warburg Realty’s Steven “We liked having them as [tenants] and wanted to keep them.” Time Equities’ Francis Greenburger on giving government agencies rent breaks to keep them at 633 Third Avenue (Wall Street Journal).
“Every time you turned around, someone was tearing down a building. If you want quiet, you need to be in a place that is deeply established architecturally.” Artist Ross Bleckner, explaining why he left his longtime home in Tribeca and moved to the West Village. (The New York Times)
Goldschmidt, head of the technology committee for the Real Estate Board of New York, on getting REBNY’s revamped listings system up and running.
“My brokers are appalled by what happens on these shows.”
“They made me think that I was dating him. I like Michael as a person. I was definitely open to the possibility of dating him. I wasn’t sure if he really liked me or [if it was the producers] setting him up for television.” Douglas Elliman broker Jessica Cohen, when asked by The Real Deal whether she dated Michael Lorber during a stint on Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing New York.”
“We look at everything.” SL Green Realty Corp. CEO Marc Holliday, when asked during a quarterly earnings call if he would consider a bid to buy the Empire State Building.
Pamela Liebman, CEO of the Corcoran Group, expressing her disdain for reality TV shows featuring real estate brokers. (Wall Street Journal)
“They dance with each other, not like Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, but like Shawn [Jay-Z] and Beyoncé.”SHoP Architects’ Vishaan Chakrabarti, on his design for two First Avenue residential towers being developed by Michael Stern’s JDS Development. (The New York Times) 28 September 2013 www.TheRealDeal.com
The month’s funniest and most insightful comments on real estate
“If you need a graphic designer, there’s one down the hall. If you need a lawyer, there’s one upstairs.” Brownstoner.com founder and newly minted developer Jonathan Butler, on his hopes for building an eclectic community of creatives at his 1000 Dean Street project in Crown Heights. (New York Observer)
“If you get lucky, the market makes you look smarter than you are.” Developer Steven Witkoff, on the speedy sellout of his 10 Madison Square West condo conversion. (Wall Street Journal)
“It got me thinking: if there are that many bees in Midtown, maybe it makes sense to put up some hives.” The Durst Organization’s Richard Kohlbrecher, on the company’s decision to begin beekeeping on the roof of One Bryant Park. (The New York Times) www.TheRealDeal.com August 2006 00