Founder and President
212-216-9777 Ext 119
rfrisch@jdfrealty.com
Robert Frischman, Founder and President, has been selling and managing real estate in the New York Metro region for more than 22 years. A graduate of Clark University, Robert has assembled a highly motivated, seasoned and savvy group of commercial brokerage veterans.
Robert began his real estate career with Algin Management in Forest Hills, NY as a property manager handling such properties as Hilary Gardens and Laurence Towers in Manhattan. After obtaining an Associate Broker’s license at age 23, Frischman moved to Chodosh Realty Services in Tribeca. At Chodosh Realty, his primary focus was the retail lease-up of the newly developed and highly ambitious Red Square mixed use, project developed by Mike Gruss and Michael Rosen in the East Village. In addition to Red Square, Frischman established a niche in the downtown market by arranging a number of retail and art gallery lease transactions in Soho and Tribeca. A notable transaction arranged in 1988 was the Jin Market, located at 111 Hudson Street in Tribeca. This deal was significant to the growth of the block, which is now the home of Nobu and its counterpart, Next Door Nobu as well as Bubby’s and Issey Miyake. With the continued dearth of supermarkets in Tribeca, the recently renovated Gin Market remains a popular destination for Tribecans.
Robert founded JDF Realty, Inc. in 1992 after three years of success with Chodosh. Since then, JDF has grown into a full service firm with strengths in retail leasing, office and institutional leasing, hospitality leasing and sales, as well as investment sales. Significant transactions the firm has arranged include the creation of the downtown Manhattan campus of Nyack College, totaling more than 70,000 square feet at 335 Broadway and 361 Broadway, the leasing and development of 28 residential apartments at 242 East 14th Street to NYU School of Medicine, the leasing of eight facilities to Preschool of America, as its exclusive representative, the leasing of 21,000 square feet at 153 Varick Street to City Winery and the sale of 158 West 27th Street, a 112,000 square foot loft office building, in Chelsea to Meringoff Properties.
The last few years have seen the bar raised dramatically at JDF Realty in the hospitality arena. Done deals include the Veloce chain of wine bars, Buddakan, Morimoto, Telepan, Japonais, Alto, Boqueria, Pure Food and Wine, Rocco’s, L’Impero, Ililli, Brother Jimmy’s, The Darby and Kellari Taverna. JDF Realty also arranged the relocation and expansion of Whole Foods Market in Millburn, NJ to a new site in Vauxhall, NJ.
Other significant transactions include the relocation of Oscar Gruss and Son to 292 Madison Avenue in Midtown, the leasing of the retail space at 74 Broad Street in the Financial District to Fresh and Co., the leasing to Jeffrey Lefcourt of 952 Second Avenue in Midtown for the second The Smith restaurant and the sale 107 Reade Street in Tribeca to the owners of the Cosmopolitan Hotel for the addition of up to 40 new rooms and a lobby expansion.
Robert is a member of the Retail Stores Committee of the Real Estate Board of New York, a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and the Manhattan representative of Retail Brokers Network, a nationwide consortium of 40 commercial brokerage firms.
JDF Realty has completed a full renovation and substantial expansion of its Manhattan office facilities and has grown to feature 16 brokerage professionals. As 2011 marks the 19 year anniversary of the founding of JDF Realty, Robert believes that the future holds unlimited opportunities for all in the industry and looks forward to continuing success with all of JDF Realty’s clients, customers, colleagues and associates.
