Lawrence D. Ackman ’60

Lawrence D. Ackman ’60, of New York City; May 31. He joined his father’s finance brokerage firm Ackman-Ziff Real Estate Group in the 1960s, then became president of the company in 1968 and CEO in 1977. In 1995, Simon Ziff became president of the firm and Lawrence moved to work on real estate deals with his son at Pershing Square Capital. During his tenure at Ackman-Ziff he helped develop the mortgage brokerage industry: the business of helping developers borrow money to finance real estate projects. He was instrumental in putting together the land and financing for deals struck by some of New York’s leading developers. Among his many clients were the Friedland family, with its Friedland Properties development firm, which he represented on most of its acquisitions that reshaped Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side. He also helped arrange a $100 million construction loan for developer Harry Helmsley to build One Penn Plaza, a 57-floor skyscraper on Seventh Avenue between 33rd and 34th Streets. At the time, the loan was one of the largest ever made. In the 1990s, he helped developer Irwin Cohen finance the acquisition of an old Nabisco factory complex on Ninth Avenue, between 15th and 16th Streets, which was turned into Chelsea Market, a food hall and retail complex that helped revitalize the neighborhood. He was on the board of the New York Philharmonic, for which his firm helped arrange, pro bono, the financing for the $550 million renovation of the music hall at Lincoln Center now called David Geffen Hall. He also funded the purchase of the hall’s new digital organ. He enjoyed traveling with his wife to more than 70 countries and singing while his wife played piano. He is survived by his wife, Ronnie; a daughter; a son; son-in-law Max Rosen ’81; and seven grandchildren, including Samuel Rosen ’14.