Bernard Hyman Mendik (May 29, 1929May 28, 2001) was an American real estate developer, founder of the Mendik Company, and chairman of the

Real Estate Board of New York The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) is a trade association for the real estate industry in New York City. Formed in 1896, it has been dubbed "the leading trade group advocating on policy changes in the real estate industry". Its current p ...

Biography

Mendik 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

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, Scotland, and emigrated to the United States as a child. His father was a

handyman A handyman, also known as a fixer, handyperson or handyworker, maintenance worker, maintenance man, repairman, repair worker, or repair technician, is a person who is knowledgeable in skills such as basic carpentry, plumbing, minor electrical w ...

. He graduated from the

Bronx High School of Science The Bronx High School of Science is a State school, public Specialized high schools in New York City, specialized high school in the Bronx in New York City. It is operated by the New York City Department of Education. Admission to Bronx Science ...

. In 1954, he graduated from

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...

and in 1959, he received a J.D. from

New York Law School New York Law School (NYLS) is a private, American law school in the Tribeca neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City. The third oldest law school in New York City, its history predates its official founding in 1891 by Theodore William Dwight, T ...

where he met

Larry Silverstein Larry A. Silverstein (born May 30, 1931) is an American billionaire businessman. Among his real estate projects, he is the developer of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City, as well as one of New York's tal ...

. After school, he married Silverstein's sister and joined her father's real estate business, Harry G. Silverstein & Sons. In 1966, Harry Silverstein died and Mendik and Larry Silverstein formed Silverstein & Mendik. The partnership was quite successful until Mendik divorced his wife in the late 1970s and the partnership ended. Mendik also cited disagreements over real estate strategies, with Mendik wanting to buy buildings while Silverstein wanted to build. They hired

Jerry Speyer Jerry I. Speyer (born June 23, 1940) is an American real estate developer. He is one of two founding partners of the New York real estate company Tishman Speyer, which controls Rockefeller Center. Speyer was featured in the Forbes 400 list in 2021 ...

to assist in dividing the assets. Mendik then founded the Mendik Company. In 1982, he joined the Real Estate Board of New York and in 1992, he served as its chairman until his death. Under his stewardship, the Real Estate Board persuaded the State Legislature to end or reduce real estate-related capital gains and transfer taxes; he also successfully promoted legislation legalizing

real estate investment trust A real estate investment trust (REIT, pronounced "reet") is a company that owns, and in most cases operates, income-producing real estate. REITs own many types of real estate, including office and apartment buildings, studios, warehouses, hos ...

s in New York. In April 1997, Mendik folded his company into

Vornado Realty Trust Vornado Realty Trust is an American real estate investment trust formed in Maryland in 1982, with its primary office in New York City. The company invests in office buildings and street retail in Manhattan. History Two Guys The origins of the ...

becoming Vornado's co-chairman for $654 million in stock and assumption of debt. The combination of the Mendik Company's seven midtown office buildings with 4 million square feet transformed Vornado, then primarily a holder of suburban malls, into a major player in New York City's office market. In October 1998, he resigned from Vornado. Mendik taught at New York University from 1960 to 1987 and received the Fiorello La Guardia Award for civic achievement presented by New York City Mayor

Rudolph Giuliani Rudolph William Louis Giuliani ( , ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and disbarred lawyer who served as the 107th mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney General fr ...

Philanthropy

He endowed a library in his name at the New York Law School; a professorship in otolaryngology at

New York University Medical Center NYU Langone Health is an integrated academic health system located in New York City, New York, United States. The health system consists of the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, both part of New Y ...

; and supported research centers there and at

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK or MSKCC) is a oncology, cancer treatment and research institution in Manhattan in New York City. MSKCC is one of 72 National Cancer Institute–NCI-designated Cancer Center, designated Comprehen ...

. He served as chairman of the Grand Central Partnership, as a trustee of the Citizens Budget Committee, as vice chairman of the Fifth Avenue Association, and on the board of regents of the

Cathedral of St. John the Divine The Cathedral of St. John the Divine (sometimes referred to as St. John's and also nicknamed St. John the Unfinished) is the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. It is at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue in the Morningside Heights neighborhoo ...

Personal life

Mendik divorced his first wife, Annette Silverstein, sister of

; they had three children: Laurie J. Mendik, Kevin R. Mendik, and Todd L. Mendik. Mendik's second wife was Susan Batkin; they had one child, Alexander M. Mendik. He was a member of

Congregation Emanu-El of New York Congregation Emanu-El of New York is the first Reform Jewish congregation in New York City. It has served as a flagship congregation in the Reform branch of Judaism since its founding in 1845. The building it uses – (called " Temple Em ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mendik, Bernard H. 1929 births 2001 deaths American people of Scottish-Jewish descent American businesspeople in real estate New York Law School alumni City College of New York alumni Scottish emigrants to the United States Businesspeople from Glasgow Businesspeople from New York City Philanthropists from New York (state) 20th-century American philanthropists 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century Scottish businesspeople 20th-century American Jews