Jay Furman

Jay Martin Furman
BornJuly 15, 1942
DiedJanuary 4, 2015 (age 72)
NationalityAmerican
OccupationReal estate developer
Known forPresident of RD Management LLC
Spouse(s)Gail Gorman (divorced)
Victoria Moran
ChildrenJason Furman
Jesse Furman

Jay Furman (July 15, 1942 – January 4, 2015) was a developer and owner of real estate located in thirty-nine U.S. states and Puerto Rico. He had significant interests in more than 150 shopping centers, office buildings, hotels and industrial/storage facilities. Furman served as the president of RD Management LLC[1][2] and oversaw the operations of all of its affiliates.

Biography

Furman was born to a Jewish family,[3] the son of real estate developer Morris Furman.[4][5] He has one sister, Barbara Furman Murray.[4] Furman graduated from Harvard University. He also has a Masters in economics from Columbia University and a J.D. from New York University School of Law. After school he worked for the family company, eventually assuming control. He developed or acquired over 125 properties during the period from 1993 through mid-2006, and at the time of his death had over 20 properties under development.

Furman was on the board of governors of the New York Academy of Sciences and a trustee of New York University[6](Chairman of the Real Estate Committee), New York University School of Law (Chairman of the Academic Affairs Committee), UJA (Chairman of the Real Estate Committee), Educational Alliance, Jewish Home & Hospital of Manhattan, Jazz at Lincoln Center[7] and the Child Study Center at the New York University Medical Center. Furman oversaw the development and construction of Furman Hall, a $100 million facility, which doubled the academic capacity of the law school.[8][9] Furman Hall was completed ahead of schedule with considerable construction budget savings realized.

Furman also was on the board of directors of the Great Neck Arts Center and was instrumental in creating and programming their "Cinematheque Independent Filmmakers" series, which he endowed from 1997 onward; was the founder and chairman of the advisory board of the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy,[10][11] and founder of the Furman Academic Scholarship at the New York University School of Law and was on the National Advisory Board of Futures for Children.

He was one of the investors in the Broadway production of The Wedding Singer.[12]

Personal life

His first wife was Gail Gorman; they had two children: economist Jason Furman and federal judge Jesse Furman.[5] They later divorced. Furman died of lung cancer on January 4, 2015, at the age of 72.[13] He was survived by his two sons and a stepson, Eric, from his second marriage to Victoria (née Moran) Furman.[13][14] Services were held at the Central Synagogue in Manhattan.[13]

References

  1. ^ "RD Management LLC". Rdmanagement.com. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
  2. ^ New York City press release PR-220-06 June 26, 2006 Archived January 15, 2019, at the Wayback Machine Mayor Bloomberg breaks ground at first residential development in Greenpoint-Williamsburg rezoning area
  3. ^ "UJA-Federation of New York mourns the passing of Jay Furman, longtime supporter of UJA-Federation and a distinguished leader in our community as a member of UJA-Federation's Finance Committee & Board of Directors". The New York Times. January 6, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Morris Furman, Realty Developer, 80". The New York Times. December 18, 1989.
  5. ^ a b "In Memoriam: Jay Furman, 1942-2015". New York University School of Law News. January 5, 2015.
  6. ^ "New York University Board of Trustees". Nyu.edu. 2009-10-19. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
  7. ^ "Jazz at Lincoln Center – Board of Directors". Jazz at Lincoln Center. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
  8. ^ Brozan, Nadine (2004-01-18). "POSTINGS: Furman Hall, Nine Stories on Sullivan Street; New Law Building Opens at N.Y.U. - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
  9. ^ Amateau, Albert (January 14–20, 2004). "N.Y.U. opens new building for law school". The Villager. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  10. ^ "The Furman Center For Real Estate & Urban Policy". Wagner.nyu.edu. Archived from the original on 2010-05-12. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
  11. ^ "Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy". Retrieved 2010-01-25.
  12. ^ "Fresh cash, fresh formulas". St. Petersburg Times. February 16, 2006. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  13. ^ a b c "FURMAN--Jay, died peacefully on January 4 after battling lung cancer". The New York Times. January 6, 2015.
  14. ^ "King of California in the Hamptons". New York Social Diary. August 21, 2007. A Who's Who of the Hampton's scene joined hosts Victoria Moran Furman and Jay Furman (Jazz at Lincoln Center Board member) at their Southampton home for a joyful event complete with a performance by the jazz king himself, Wynton Marsalis