Michael Dezer
Michael Dezer | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1941 (age 83–84) |
| Nationality | Israel |
| Occupation | real estate investor |
| Spouse | Neomi Kerekes |
| Children | Leslie Dezer Salmon Gil Dezer Estee Dezer Gurwitz |
Michael Dezer (born 1941) is an Israeli-born, New York real estate developer and founder of Dezer Properties.
Biography
Dezer was born in Tel Aviv, Israel,[1] the son of a bus driver.[2] He served in the Israeli Air Force.[1] In 1962, he immigrated to the U.S. where he went to night school and worked in advertising before starting a typesetting business.[2] He then started investing in real estate and founded Dezer Properties in New York City which focused on the Chelsea neighborhood[3] which was then transitioning into an arts community from its former identity as a manufacturing center.[1] In the 1980s, he purchased a number of ocean front plots in Miami and, in partnership with Donald Trump, developed numerous properties including the $900 million Trump Towers, the $600 million Trump Grande Ocean Resort and Residences and the $166 million Trump International Hotel and Tower in Fort Lauderdale.[1] As of 2013, Dezer owns and manages 1.3 million square feet of commercial space in Chelsea.[4]
Dezer is also the landlord of the luxury auto retailer Manhattan Motorcars.[1]
Personal life
He is married to fellow Israeli Neomi (née Kerekes) and has three children: daughters Leslie Dezer Salmon (b. 1970) and Estee Dezer Gurwitz (born 1978); and son Gil Dezer (b.1975).[5] All his children participate in the family business.[5] His son Gil is currently developing the 60-story Porsche Design Tower in Sunny Isles Beach.[3] Dezer collects cars and has over 1,000 cars in the Miami Auto Museum in North Miami[3] including the 1948 Ford from Grease, the 1959 Cadillac from Ghostbusters, the 1981 DeLorean from Back to the Future, an original Batmobile, the Land Rover from Skyfall, and a T-55 Soviet tank from GoldenEye.[1][6]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Forbes: "Meet The Real Estate Baron Who Owns James Bond's Soviet Tank - And The Batmobile" by Hannah Elliott April 15, 2013
- ^ a b People: "Michael Dezer Just Hated to See the '50s Disappear...So He Brought Them Back" by Patricia Freeman and Mary Huzinec August 29, 1988
- ^ a b c Miami Herald: "Porsche fanatic Gil Dezer makes mark in Sunny Isles Beach" By Martha Brannigan October 27, 2013
- ^ The Real Deal: "The quiet players - Meet some New York City empire builders who shun the spotlight" By Gabby Warshawer September 01, 2009
- ^ a b The Real Deal: "Gil Dezer lives life in the fast lane - Car-crazy condo developer redefines luxury in Sunny Isles" By Emily Schmall October 01, 2013
- ^ Dezer Collection website retrieved November 2, 2013