At the Desk of: Hall Willkie

When he is mowing hay at his 70-acre farm in Bovina, New York, Hall Willkie doesn’t look much like the president of a high-end real estate brokerage. Still, this exec prefers to retreat each weekend to the Catskills’ grassy western slopes. “People always ask me, ‘How can you leave that beautiful farm?’” Willkie said. “I say, ‘If I didn’t go back, I wouldn’t have it.’” So on Sunday nights, he climbs into his Audi A7, cranks up SiriusXM Love and drives the 150 miles back to his East 72nd Street co-op. “Every time I hit the George Washington Bridge and look south and see that city at night, I’m in love again.” The next day, he’s at his desk at the Park Avenue headquarters of Brown Harris Stevens, the firm he joined as vice president in 1989. By afternoon, he’ll have left the office twice for meetings, at places like The Beresford on Central Park West. He never eats lunch out. “I can’t afford it. And I’m not talking about the price of a sandwich,” he said, referring to the time it takes to wait for service. “In a business like this one, every question is important and has a timing aspect to it,” Willkie said. It’s his job to be accessible, so he has an open-door policy and no secretary. Yet throughout his chaotic day, he savors moments soaking up the view from his 11th-floor office. He preferred the scene outside his old office on Madison Avenue, which he called a perfect perch for people watching. But the sights here are about as New York as it gets: the Hudson River to the left, East River to the right and Park Avenue as far as the eye can see. It’s a long way from his  days as an assistant manager at Clear Springs Thoroughbred Breeding and Training Farms in Virginia. 

Bronze horse 

This horse was purchased years ago on the streets of Hong Kong. It sits atop a pile of real estate books next to Willkie’s computer. The iron statue reminds him of his own horses — a Percheron named Tobias and a Percheron-Friesian cross named Jetta — at his farm Upstate.

Tape calculator 

An old-school tape calculator sits on his desk. He prefers it over display-only calculators because he can review figures and make sure they’re correct. “I can’t say to you, ‘Well, $12 million because I made a typo.’ I have to make sure it’s $13 million, and having the tape does that.” Willkie had another just like this one for over 20 years, but it died last year.

Ties 

Willkie dislikes wearing neckties, but he nevertheless keeps dozens in his office closet draped over a heavy hanger, for himself and anyone else who needs one in a pinch. “I can be in here and they just open the closet door, take one, and walk out,” Willkie said. There is one he  favors: a yellow tie covered with dachshunds. “This one is my favorite because it comes from Loewe, which is like the Hermès of Spain.” Willkie lived with his mother in Madrid from age 11 to 17.

Photo of father 

This framed photograph of Willkie’s father, Frederick Willkie, gives him a connection to his family. The elder Willkie was a senior executive at Seagram’s Distillery in Louisville and Willkie spent the first decade of his life in Kentucky, the youngest of seven children. Although his father died when he was just 10 years old, Willkie keeps him close. “He’s a man I never knew, but I like having his picture there.”

iWatch 

Willkie  uses his smart watch to check emails, texts and voicemail. He can also interact with clients through the BHS app. He also makes talk-to-text notes, reads the news, and checks the stock markets and weather. The iWatch also helps him check off everything that’s on a to-do list in a paper notebook on his desk. “I’m very much a believer in getting it done,” he said. “If I can do it today, I do it today.”

Painting 

A 1929 painting by Hungarian artist Jenö Gábor hangs on the wall by Willkie’s desk. He bought the painting, entitled “Circus,” at William Doyle’s gallery years ago and thinks it sums up the hectic nature of a normal business day. He pointed to the ringmaster in the painting. “This is me trying to create some order.”

Crystal ball   

A close associate gave Willkie this crystal ball as a play on his standard response to reporters and clients asking him about the market’s future, “I wish I had a crystal ball …” It sits next to a Magic 8 Ball gifted by Stephen Klym, the manager of BHS’ downtown office. “We know a lot, but we can’t predict what’s going to happen tomorrow,” Willkie said.

Hardhat

This hardhat from Zeckendorf Development’s 520 Park Avenue, a luxury residential tower under construction on East 60th Street, is kept close at hand. “I use it when I go on site so I don’t get knocked out,” he quipped. BHS’ Park Avenue office is near a number of groundbreaking developments, including Macklowe Properties’ 432 Park Avenue, which Willkie has watched rise to 96 stories from his company’s terrace. He has been up on the lofty tower. “I warn them when I go there that my heart belongs to 520 Park,” he said.

Steel straws 

During his daily walk from his Upper East Side home to work, Willkie stops at Caffe Bacio for coffee. While he’s on the move, he sips his java through stainless steel straws. “I have a lot of them and always keep some in my briefcase,” he said. “It makes it so easy to walk.” His next stop is Juicy Cube, where he picks up a green juice, then he walks one more block to his office.