Larry A. Silverstein ’55 Inducted into Crain’s Hall of Fame

Larry A. Silverstein ’55, Chairman of Silverstein Properties, Inc., is being inducted into the Crain’s New York Business Hall of Fame.

Crain’s Hall of Fame honors leaders from business, philanthropy and the arts who have left a major impact on New York over their lifetimes. Silverstein is one of six inductees this year with one thing in common: They each left the city better than they found it, according to Crain’s. Other inductees include actor Robert De Niro, former New York Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch, and former New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton.

One of the most active and respected real estate development and investment firms based in New York, Silverstein Properties has developed, owned, and managed 40 million square feet of office, residential, hotel, and retail space. The firm currently has $10 billion worth of development work underway.

Silverstein has focused the last 14 years of his career on rebuilding the office component of the World Trade Center site —a $20 billion project. He is credited with being instrumental in the revitalization of downtown in the years after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

In a July 2011 interview, Silverstein was asked about his work overseeing the rebuilding of the World Trade Center after years of fierce opposition from skeptics.

“What became obvious to me early on is that if I didn't keep the focus, this wouldn't have gotten done. There were so many people pulling at this from so many directions that someone had to sit here and resolve to get it done,” said Silverstein.

Crain’s has extensively covered Silverstein and his firm over the years, including naming Silverstein Properties to its list of the “Best Places to Work in New York City” for the last eight years.

Read the Q&A with Silverstein (subscription required)