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Michael Namer(born October 29, 1953) is an artist, an art collector and the founder and CEO of Alfa Development/Management. Namer is originally from Istanbul, Turkey but soon moved to Cuba, his mother’s birthplace, and then later, in 1961, to America. He has been one of the leading names in real estate and developing in downtown New York City since the beginning of the 1980's.

Early Life

When Namer and his family started their life in America they had nothing. Namer came to America in 1961 with his brother Izak without their parents at first. As Namer said in a New York Times interview with Vivian Marino, “We came here together as refugees from Cuba through a Jewish relief organization in 1961. I was 8 ½ and he was 9 ½ and we were sent to California to a foster home for a year until my parents got out. So needless to say we bonded, and that solidified the concept of family.” Namer was very family oriented since he was little. It is clear to see that he would eventually start a business and work with his family. In 1980 he started in the real estate business with his father Sam, and in 1988, alongside his brother Izak they started Alfa Development/Management. Izak passed away in 2010 from cancer. Now Namer is working and running the business with his son and two nephews. His son, Matthew Namer, is the Vice President of Development/Director of Acquisitions and Hospitality. One of his nephews, Jake Namer, is the Executive Vice President, and his other nephew, David Namer, is the Vice President of Property Management.

Business Career/Real Estate Developments

Namer was successful in the real estate industry in Manhattan ever since he got started there in the beginning of the 1980’s. He began by “renovating loft buildings in the East Village and pioneering the Luxury Loft Condominium conversion market of the early eighties.”One of Namer’s major projects is Chelsea Green. According to an article in the Daily News (New York) by Jason Sheftell in august of 2012, these condos are going to be extremely economical and efficient. The title of the article is “Chelsea condo development primed to be one of the greenest in the country.”In fact, before the building had even been finished more than 90 percent of it was sold.Namer says that most of the apartments range from $1,200 to $1,400 but larger tower apartments bring up the average to $1,600 a square foot.Interviewer Vivian Marino of “The New York Times” stated, “that’s still comparatively cheaper per square foot than many condos being built in Manhattan these days.” Namer’s response to this was, “we’re actually on the low end of things. Everything in the neighborhood is $2,000, $3,000, $4,000. It’s much more affordable, but I hate to use the word “affordable” when you’re buying a $4 million apartment, because it’s not for most people and we have to be cognizant of that. But it is in terms of what’s out in the marketplace.”Namer may be talking about and working with large amounts of money but it can be seen that he is intelligent, knows what he's talking about, and came from humble beginnings. Namer is very conscious of the environment and says he will strive to make all of his new developments "be green". In the New York Daily News article Namer also said, “I’m not in this business to squeeze dollars from people,” “We’re here to build right. At the end of the day, we want to make people who live in our buildings live better lives. Every decision we make as a developer has the resident’s welfare and well-being in mind. That’s what we’re about. I want our buildings to reflect that.”This shows that Namer is extremely passionate about what he does and it is evidently seen that he’s not just in it for the money. Another one of Namer’s projects is Village Green. This was “the first LEED-Gold certified residential condominium in downtown New York City”.This is located at 311 East 11th Street and was Namer and his company’s first venture with sustainability being a main component. In a Daily News article by Jason sheftell, Namer says, “History, architecture and sustainability, that’s who we are as a developer.” Namer is known to get directly involved in his projects and be an especially hands-on and involved developer in New York City. This is presented in Jason Sheftell’s article. “He designed the metal gate that will decorate the building’s ground floor exterior. He even drew how the building would look, working with architects Stephen B. Jacobs Group on every detail.”

Other Projects

• A hotel between Madison and Park
• Condos which will be Namer’s “third sustainable residential building”, which is on 14th and Eight.
• Namer is planning to do very high-end loft apartments on 21st street. Not surprisingly he is going to keep it green.
• A restaurant named “Alison Eighteen”, which Namer partnered with Alison Price Becker and Gary spindler to create. Namer has always loved the culinary industry and has been able to exercise this passion with the help of his many friends in the industry such as Herb Lipke, Chef Bruno Olivier, and Alison Price Becker.

Involvement with the arts

Namer proves to have a great diversity of skills and talents. Namer has always loved art and doing pieces of his own. In his 30 minute New York Times interview he said, “I do figurative paintings in oil. I actually did a show about nudes.”Namer also was significant with the finding of a famous artists’ work. In “The Village Voice blogs", speaking about Namer it says, “He developed the SoHo building where they found and saved a Basquiat mural hidden behind sheetrock.”This artwork is now at Namer’s art gallery, Gallery 151. On the webpage for Gallery 151 there is a detailed and fascinating bio that explains this art finding and also talks about Namer’s goal and love as an artist and lover of art. Here’s an excerpt from the Gallery 151 webpage: “The mission of Gallery 151 is to support emerging New York-based artists and provide a platform for their talent to be recognized by the public. In 2009, Gallery 151 expanded its vernacular to include issues of sustainability and environmental responsibility. The Urban Green Initiative at Gallery 151 was a series of exhibits, charity events, and performances through 2009 and 2010 that used art to encourage the discussion of these issues.”[[1]]

External Links

18 http://www.gallery151.com/

http://alisoneighteen.com/