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Charles Cohen's angle on design

Charles Cohen, president and CEO of the Cohen Brothers Realty Corporation

Successful real estate must be "connected to a community of interest," said Charles Cohen, president and CEO of the Cohen Brothers Realty Corporation. In an interview with the New York Times, Cohen, 57, explained that he got involved with the design community during the 1990s, and the niche stuck with him. His company now owns more than 12 million square feet of office and design center properties across the country, including the Decoration & Design Building in Manhattan, which he says has a 100 percent occupancy rate. He's currently working on renovating an office building at 32nd Street and Park Avenue South, and he's building two fountains on the corner of 57th Street and Lexington Avenue. Recently, his affection for the film industry led him to step in and help the Film-Makers' Corporation, which was facing eviction in Tribeca. He said the situation "struck a note" with him, so he called the group and offered to rent them space at his 475 Park Avenue South for $1 per year. [NYT]