Steve Witkoff
| Steven Charles Witkoff | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 15, 1957 Bronx, New York |
| Residence | Manhattan, New York |
| Nationality | United States |
| Ethnicity | Jewish |
| Education | J.D. Hofstra University |
| Occupation | real estate investor |
| Known for | founder of the Witkoff Group |
| Spouse(s) | Lauren Rappoport |
| Children | three |
| Parent(s) | Martin Witkoff Lois Witkoff |
Steven Charles Witkoff (born March 15, 1957)[1] is a New York real estate investor, landlord, and the founder of the Witkoff Group.
Early life and education
Witkoff was born to a Jewish family in the Bronx and raised in Baldwin Harbor, New York[2] and Old Westbury, New York,[3] the son of Martin and Lois Witkoff. His father was a manufacturer of ladies' coats in New York City.[1][4] He earned a J.D. from Hofstra University. After school he worked for the real estate firm Dreyer & Traub, where one of his clients was Donald Trump.[2]
Career
In 1985, he partnered with fellow Dreyer & Traub attorney Laurence Gluck and founded Stellar Management (the name Stellar is derived from Steve and Larry) and purchased cheap buildings in Washington Heights, Manhattan.[2][5] He accumulated a small portfolio of buildings and in 1995, he expanded into lower Manhattan, buying several cheap office buildings.[2] In 1996, he was able to secure financing from Credit Suisse First Boston for the purchase of 33 Maiden Lane, a 27-story tower designed by Philip Johnson. A close relationship with Credit Suisse First Boston soon developed and Witkoff was able to purchase additional properties - typically using very little of his own money - including the landmark News Building.[2] In 1998, he and partner Rubin Schron purchased the Woolworth Building for $137.5 million[1] and he expanded his portfolio to include real estate purchases in Chicago, Dallas and Philadelphia.[2] In 1998, the planned IPO of his company was cancelled due to the collapse of the real estate market[2] and Witkoff and Gluck dissolved their partnership with Gluck taking the residential properties and Witkoff the office buildings. Witkoff founded the Witkoff Group and expanded into residential construction and rehab.[2] As of 2013, Witkoff owns about 30 properties in the United States and London.[5]
In November 2013, the Witkoff Group announced their purchase of the Helmsley Park Lane Hotel (New York). The purchase was made with Jynwel Capital, a Hong Kong-based equity majority partner, for US$660 million.[6]
Personal life
Witkoff lives on the Upper East Side in Manhattan.[1] In 1987, he married Lauren Rappoport.[4] They have three sons.[1] In 2011, the couple's son Andrew died of an OxyContin overdose at the now closed Sunset Plaza Drive sober living facility in California.[7]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- Pages using infobox person with unknown parameters
- Infobox person using ethnicity
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1957 births
- American real estate businesspeople
- American Jews
- Businesspeople from New York City
- People from the Bronx
- Maurice A. Deane School of Law alumni
- Living people
- People from Hempstead (town), New York
- People from Old Westbury, New York
- People from the Upper East Side
