Leonard Litwin

Leonard Litwin Biography

Leonard Litwin (born 1915) is an American real estate developer who, through his company, Glenwood Management, specializes in residential construction. Known for being "shy" later in life, he started out in the nursery business with his father. In the 1950s, he was involved in developing high-rise units on Manhattan's Upper East Side and built what was in the 1960s the city's largest luxury high rise, The Pavilion. His Liberty Plaza, a 45-story apartment rental complex, was the first new building to rise in Manhattan after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 known as 9-11. His firm currently owns and operates approximately 23 buildings in Manhattan. and rents about 4,200 high-end units. His buildings have a reputation for being well built and well managed. In 2006, Litwin ranked number 374 on the Forbes 400, with a net worth of approximately $1 billion. In 2007, he'd dropped to number 891, with a net worth of $1 billion. He was named as one of the holders of an account with alleged Ponzi scheme firm Bernard L. Madoff Securities in a court filing in February 2009. In 2012, at age 97, he was rated as the highest individual donor to New York State politicians in the past year, with donations amounting to $700,000. He avoided caps on his donations by using his limited liability companies (LLCs). He gave state Republicans $436,500 and Governor Andrew Cuomo $76,000. William Street Associates is an LLC with Leonard Litwin as its head. The firm has made a donation to Peter Vallone's campaign in 2000.

Litwin never gave up the nursery business. He is the owner of Woodbourne Cultural Nurseries, Inc., in Melbourne, on Long Island, NY, which he's turning into an arboretum of over 200 acres.

Leonard Litwin

Leonard Litwin Biography

See also