Samuel LeFrak, a major real estate developer who built much of the Newport section of Jersey City, died Wednesday. He was 85.
"He was a visionary who put his money where his dreams were," said former Jersey City mayor Bret Schundler. Schundler served as one of the city's mayors while the Lefrak Organization Inc., chaired by Samuel LeFrak, helped transform the Newport area from train yards into what is now called "The Gold Coast," full of residential and office buildings.

"He saw Jersey City's potential long before any others in the real estate community," Schundler continued. "And he made a larger commitment than any other person in the real estate community."

LeFrak began the development of the Newport section in the early 1980s, constructing a series of office complexes and high-end residential projects that would eventually occupy a 600 acre tract of land. The breadth of LeFrak's building reached from Second Street in Jersey City to the Hoboken border.

"The city was looking for someone who would do the job," said Gerald McCann, who served as mayor of Jersey City from 1981 to 1985 and again from 1989 to 1992. "The only way development in Newport could have been made to work was to bring in someone like Sam LeFrak."



Selected in 1982



McCann said LeFrak Organization Inc. was chosen in 1982 to start development in what then called Newport City. McCann added that LeFrak began erecting both housing and business office complexes in 1985 and had the Newport Center Mall opened in 1987. The mall is now operated by Simon Management, McCann added.

"The combination of LeFrak's reputation and what he accomplished in Newport attracted other developers to the area," McCann said.

"He gave Jersey City credibility," said McCann.

McCann recalled LeFrak as an outgoing man who had a hands-on approach to running his business.

"Sam was an anchor," McCann said. "He handled all the negations and did all the talking."



Bio



Born in 1918, LeFrak was a graduate of the University of Maryland and did postgraduate studies at Columbia and Harvard universities. According to published sources, LeFrak took over the reins of the family business after World War II. During the 1950s, LeFrak built approximately 2,000 apartments in Brooklyn. A decade later, Sam LeFrak's firm constructed a 5,000 apartment development on 40 acres in Queens, turning the area into "Lefrak City." In Jersey City, the Newport development scheme included the construction of 10,000 apartments and complimentary retail and commercial space.

Many who encountered LeFrak remarked on his outgoing, even boisterous public personality.

"Sam LeFrak had an interesting way of presenting himself," said Jeff Kaplowitz, a Jersey City real estate agent and former chairman of the municipal planning board. "I never wanted to miss a ribbon-cutting or speech by Sam LeFrak. You never knew what he was going to say."

"If it were not for the work done by Sam LeFrak in Jersey City, it would have taken us another decade to get Jersey City to where it is today," Kaplowitz stated.

While Kaplowitz acknowledged LeFrak was key to bringing other developers, such as Mark-Cali, to the city, Kaplowitz commented that LeFrak did not keep up with "modern thinking" in regards to development design.

"Sam was given to his own way of doing things," said Kaplowitz. Kaplowitz added that LeFrak seemed to prefer the large tower surrounded by a large parking lot design for his developments, ignoring such recent trends as "New Urbanism," which emphasizes a mixed retail and residential design housed in smaller storied buildings.

"Sam LeFrak was dedicated to his own vision," Kaplowitz added. "He saw Newport as the legacy for his company and Jersey City."



Knighted by Norway



An avid art collector since his early 20s, LeFrak assembled a diverse collection of paintings and sculpture and was a trustee of the Guggenheim Museum and an advisory director of the Metropolitan Opera.

During his lifetime, LeFrak received a number of awards and honors, including a knighthood from the Kings of Norway and Sweden. In 1988, LeFrak and former President Jimmy Carter were honored by the United Nations for their work with "Habitat International."

LeFrak is survived by his wife Ethel Stone LeFrak, and children, Denise LeFrak Calicchio, Richard LeFrak, Francine LeFrak Friedberg, and Jacqueline LeFrak Kosinski, as well as five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Services were held Friday at Temple Emanu-El in New York City.