Alfred Kaskel (1901–1968) was an American real estate developer and hotelier, best known for founding Doral Hotels and Resorts, Doral Construction, and Carol Management, which developed, owned, and managed a number of hotels, apartment buildings, and office buildings in New York City, Florida, Chicago, and Boston, primarily from the 1930s to the 1990s. This included more than 20,000 rental apartments.

Biography

Kaskel was born to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and immigrated to the US in the 1930s to New York, bringing his siblings with him. Soon after arriving, he began building in New York City where he eventually had over 17,000 apartments constructed, including: Gracie Towers and 360 East 72nd Street in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

; Roosevelt Terrace in

Jackson Heights, Queens Jackson Heights is a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the borough of Queens in New York City. Jackson Heights is neighbored by North Corona to the east, Elmhurst to the south, Woodside to the west, and today northern Astoria ( Ditm ...

; Churchill Manor in

Briarwood, Queens Briarwood is a middle-class neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is roughly bounded by the Van Wyck Expressway to the west, Parsons Boulevard to the east, Union Turnpike to the north, and Hillside Avenue to the ...

; Park City and Park City Estates in

Rego Park, Queens Rego Park is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City. Rego Park is bordered to the north by Elmhurst and Corona, to the east and south by Forest Hills, and to the west by Middle Village. Rego Park's boundaries include Queen ...

; Kennedy House in

Forest Hills, Queens Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the central portion of the borough of Queens in New York City. It is adjacent to Corona to the north, Rego Park and Glendale to the west, Forest Park to the south, Kew Gardens to the southeast and Flushing ...

; and River Terrace and Skyview apartments in

Riverdale, Bronx Riverdale is a residential neighborhood in the northwestern portion of the New York City borough of the Bronx. Riverdale, which had a population of 47,850 as of the 2000 United States Census, contains the city's northernmost point at the Colle ...

. Kaskel buildings were some of the first in New York City to have sunken living rooms, terraces, and outdoor corridors. Most of his buildings were designed by architect

Philip Birnbaum Philip Birnbaum (; March 30, 1904 – March 19, 1988) was an American religious author and translator. He is best known for his work ''Ha-Siddur ha-Shalem'', a translation and annotation of the Siddur first published in 1949. Biography Birnbaum ...

. Kaskel also developed The Anita Apartments, The Carol Apartments, and The Howard Apartments in

, which he named after each of his children. Kaskel's children later reciprocated when they developed The Alfred, a 38-story condominium tower in

, in his name. In the fall of 1945, Kaskel and his Carol Management Corporation purchased the

Belmont Plaza Hotel Belmont Plaza Hotel was a hotel in New York City at 49th Street (Manhattan), 49th Street and 541-555 Lexington Avenue, across the street from the Waldorf Astoria New York, Waldorf Astoria. It was purchased by real estate developer and hotelier ...

opposite the

Waldorf Astoria New York The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story, Art Deco landmark des ...

, and increased the budget of its popular supper club, the Glass Hat Club. Kaskel was perhaps best known for founding Doral Hotels & Resorts, which developed, owned and operated luxury hotels including the Doral Golf Resort and Spa (now

Trump National Doral Miami Trump National Doral Miami, also known as Doral Resort and Spa, is a golf resort in Doral in South Florida in the United States. It was founded by real estate pioneer Alfred Kaskel in 1962, with the name "Doral" coming from an amalgamation of t ...

), Doral Miami Beach, Carillon Miami, Doral Telluride Resort and Spa, Doral Inn, Doral Tuscany, Doral Park Avenue, and Doral Arrowwood, among others. The city of Doral in Florida is named after the Doral Miami Beach and its sister hotel Doral Golf Resort and Spa, which is also home to the

Doral Open The Doral Open was a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour in the southeastern United States. It was played annually for 45 seasons, from 1962 to 2006, on the "Blue Monster" course at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Doral, Florida, a subu ...

. The name was created by Doris (née Bernstein) and Alfred Kaskel, combining "Dor" and "Al" from each of their names. Alfred's last major development was 90 Park Avenue, a 41-story office building and skyscraper in

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...

located at 40th Street and Park Avenue, two blocks from Grand Central. The property opened in 1964, four years before Alfred's death in 1968.

References

1901 births 1968 deaths American businesspeople in real estate Doral, Florida American hoteliers 20th-century Polish Jews {{US-business-bio-1910s-stub