Elie Hirschfeld is the president of Hirschfeld Properties LLC, a New York City real estate developer, philanthropist, art collector, and theatrical producer. Born in New York City on December 25, 1949, Hirschfeld has spent more than four decades developing Manhattan hotels, residential towers, retail centers, and parking facilities, with aggregate real estate activity valued in the billions of dollars.
The son of New York real estate developer Abraham Hirschfeld, Elie Hirschfeld built on the family business through what is now a multi-discipline operating model spanning real estate, philanthropy, fine art, Broadway, and competitive endurance sport.
How did Elie Hirschfeld start his real estate career?
Hirschfeld received his undergraduate degree from Brown University, where he graduated phi beta kappa, magna cum laude, and president of his class. He earned his law degree from New York University School of Law.
Before joining the family business, Hirschfeld practiced as a real estate attorney at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy, focusing on real estate, financing, and banking law. He joined Hirschfeld Properties in 1976. His first project was the construction of the Empire State Building parking garage on 33rd Street, the start of a career that would shape parts of the Manhattan skyline.
What properties has Hirschfeld Properties developed?
As president of Hirschfeld Properties, Hirschfeld has directed the development or ownership of a portfolio of notable New York City properties, including The Grand Sutton, the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Park Avenue Court, The Gotham, the Sutton Collection, Exchange Tower, the redevelopment of the historic Hotel Pennsylvania, the Sports Club/LA Building, Manhattan Mall at Herald Square, and New York’s first open-air parking garage.
Hirschfeld Properties has collaborated with the Zeckendorf Organization, the Donald Trump Organization, Silverstein Properties, Empire Realty Group, Belz Enterprises of Memphis, and Simon Property Group. Hirschfeld led the redevelopment of the US Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters in Manhattan, a lease that ranked as the fourth largest by size in New York City in 2014. In 2016, he purchased a 40-unit mixed-use building in Yorkville for $23 million and a 7,058-square-foot triplex penthouse at the Marquand for $37.5 million.
What is Park.com?
Hirschfeld is leading the creation of Park.com, which the firm describes as the world’s largest digital parking infrastructure, a platform built to compete in the $100 billion global parking market. The project extends the Hirschfeld franchise from physical real estate into digital infrastructure.
What philanthropic and civic roles does Hirschfeld hold?
Hirschfeld established the Hirschfeld Family Foundation, focused on education, healthcare, athletics, and Jewish causes. He serves as trustee emeritus of Brown University and Long Island University, director of the US Board of the Weizmann Institute of Science, and trustee of multiple New York City hospitals including Beth Israel, St. Luke’s, and Roosevelt.
In 2016, Hirschfeld and his wife Sarah gave Brown University a $3.5 million gift to renovate the Judaic Studies building, which Brown subsequently renamed the Elie Hirschfeld Building. In 2019, President Donald Trump appointed Hirschfeld to the United States Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad.
What does Hirschfeld collect and produce on Broadway?
The Elie and Sarah Hirschfeld Art Collection includes works by Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall, Christo, Georgia O’Keeffe, Norman Rockwell, Mark Rothko, Frank Stella, Andy Warhol, and Keith Haring, including Haring’s Radiant Baby, acquired in 2017. Hirschfeld has donated 130 New York City-themed works to the New-York Historical Society.
Hirschfeld is a Tony Award voting member of the Broadway League and has produced or co-produced David Mamet’s Oleanna, The Fantasticks, Flashdance, Equus, and Passing Strange, which earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Musical.
What is Hirschfeld’s athletic record?
Hirschfeld is a competitive endurance athlete who has completed more than 100 triathlons, 11 marathons, and 3 Ironman competitions, including the 2012 New York City Ironman Triathlon at age 62. He placed fourth in his age group at the AJ Bell London Triathlon.
Frequently asked questions
What company does Elie Hirschfeld run?
Elie Hirschfeld is president of Hirschfeld Properties LLC, a New York City real estate development firm he joined in 1976.
What is Elie Hirschfeld’s newest project?
Hirschfeld is building Park.com, a digital parking infrastructure platform aimed at the $100 billion global parking market.
What art does Elie Hirschfeld collect?
The Elie and Sarah Hirschfeld Art Collection includes works by Calder, Chagall, O’Keeffe, Rothko, Warhol, and Haring.
Elie Hirschfeld represents a New York operator who connected an inherited real estate legacy to a modern, multi-discipline platform spanning hotels, residential, retail, parking, and digital infrastructure, while extending into philanthropy, art collecting, and Broadway production.