The Real Deal New York

Charles Cohen is the president and CEO of Cohen Brothers Realty Corporation, the company founded by his family in the 1950s. Cohen Brothers owns and manages more than 12 million square feet of office space and design centers across the country, including 623 Fifth Avenue, the Decoration & Design Building and the Pacific Design Center designed by Argentine architect César Pelli in West Hollywood, Calif.

He was also the co-producer of the film Frozen River, which in 2009 received Oscar nominations for best original screenplay and best actress. In 2015 Cohens firm renamed its 32 storey 135 East 57th Street, as Tower Fifty Seven. The property on Billionaires Row was at the time headed for a $7 million renovation and upgrade, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Charles Cohen told the newspaper that naming the building creates an identity that puts a whole new face on it. The tower includes a mix of tenants, from financial services firms to high-end cosmetics companies, according to the newspaper. In 2014 The Commercial Observer said that another of Cohens buildings, 3 East 54th reported that fashion designer Zac Posen had signed a nine-year lease for 15,200 square feet at the address, which is own 54th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues. In 2014, Cohen told The Real Deal that although he had no plans to step down, the family-run New York-based business had no heir apparent.

-GM