New York – Julien Studley, a pioneer in representing tenant interests in commercial real estate and the publisher of a ground-breaking report about New York property, has died, his former company said. He was 88.
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Studley arrived in New York at 16 following a time in Cuba after his Jewish family fled his native Belgium ahead of advancing Nazi troops. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War before setting up his own real estate brokerage in 1954.
The firm represented only the companies seeking to lease office space and not the landlord, an unusual practice in commercial real estate, where brokers typically act as agents for both the buyer and seller despite potential conflicts.
In 1963, Studley and a partner published the Studley Report, a monthly survey of available office space that provided for the first time real information instead of anecdotes about Manhattan real estate.
Studley supported local institutions, like many New York real estate barons. A long-serving trustee of The New School, the Studley Graduate Program in International Affairs at the university was named in his honor after a large financial gift.
Studley sold his firm in 2002 in a partner buy-out. A merger last year with Savills Plc created one of the largest global real estate firms. Savills gained the large U.S. presence it was lacking, and Studley an international footprint.
An obituary in the New York Times said Studley died on Tuesday.