Developing: My Life

Real estate developer William Zeckendorf Jr. was known for challenging projects - enormous mixed-use developments but also hotels, office buildings, apartment towers, and cultural facilities - that improved the lives and streetscapes of their communities. Born in 1929, Zeckendorf founded Zeckendorf Company in 1972 and went on to build a string of successful projects in New York; Washington, D.C.; and Santa Fe. He died in Santa Fe in 2014. Joan Duncan Oliver is an award-winning journalist, author, and editor. She lives in New York.

Foreword: William Lie Zeckendorf; Introduction: Educating the Master. 1: Growing Up Zeckendorf; 2: Learning the Business. On My Own: 3: Moving Up: The Mayfair House; 4: Saved by a Dog: Hotel Delmonico; 5: A Nightmare: The McAlpin; 6: Easy Money: The Statler Hilton; 7: Win Some, Lose Some: The Navarro, the Barbizon, and the Shoreham. The Visionary: 8: Opening the Broadway Corridor: The Columbia, Princeton House; 9: Looking Up: The Park Belvedere; 10: Win-win with the A&P: The Copley; 11: Location, Location: Central Park Place; 12: At a Crossroads: The Alexandria. The Innovator: 13: A Noble Experiment: Delmonico Plaza; 14: Selling Convenience: The Cosmopolitan and the Vanderbilt; 15: Breaking New Ground: The Belaire, Park Avenue Court, and the Gotham; 16: Downtown: The Hudson Residences. The Transformer: 17: Revitalizing Union Square: Zeckendorf Towers; 18: Opening Up Eighth Avenue: Worldwide Plaza; 19: A Capitol First: The Ronald Reagan Office Building and International Trade Center; 20: Turnaround in Queens: Citylights. The Hotel Maven: 21: Lighting Up Times Square: The Crowne Plaza Hotel; 22: A Royal Mess: The Rihga Royal; 23:A Crowning Achievement: The Four Seasons. Moving One: 24: 515 Park: Legacy to My Sons; 25: Leaving New York. Santa Fe : New Beginnings: 26: The Zeckendorfs in the Southwest: Return to My Roots; 27: Nancy Zeckendorf: A Living Treasure; 28: Scenic Views: Los Miradores; 29: Successful Site Planning: Sierra del Norte; 30: Introducing Luxury: The Eldorado Hotel and the Hotel Santa Fe; 31: Restoring a Landmark: The Lensic Theater. My Passions: 32: An Inherited Taste; 33: Giving Back; 34: Three Generations. Summing Up. Afterword by Arthur William Zeckendorf. Epilogue by Nancy Zeckendorf.