Real estate veteran Richard T. Kennedy died May 15, at the age of 70.
A director of leasing at Cushman and Wakefield, Kennedy was a founding board member and a long-time director of the Downtown Lower Manhattan Association. He devoted a significant part of his civic and professional life to advancing the best interests of Lower Manhattan, a neighborhood in which he lived and worked.
“Two decades ago, he was one of a handful of visionaries who dared to reimagine what Lower Manhattan could be,” wrote the Downtown Alliance in a post on the organization’s website. “The result is a great urban success story: the transformation and revitalization of an area that had been written off by so many.”
He was credited with the idea of tax exemptions as a way to benefit both property owners and tenants, an idea that helped pave the way for Lower Manhattan’s revival.
He also served as the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) Tribeca Performing Arts Center Board President, a role he held since 2001, after joining the board of directors in 1998.
“Richard will be missed by our Board and Staff at BMCC Tribeca PAC. As President of our Board of Directors, he led us through a decade and a half of challenging obstacles, and with his support we overcame them. He has been a friend to all and a supporter of our programs. We will all miss him,” said Linda Herring, BMCC Tribeca PAC Executive Director.
He served as a Senior Director of Cushman & Wakefield, Inc., a global provider of real estate services. As an office leasing specialist, Mr. Kennedy had over 25 years of experience in representing the interests of both owners and tenants of commercial office space and had been involved with some of the most significant transactions in the Downtown market, while being actively involved in the Lower Manhattan community.
He served on the Board of the Alliance for Downtown New York, as well as on the boards of New York Downtown Hospital, The Battery Conservancy, Tribeca PAC, 9/11 Tribute Center and the South Street Seaport Museum.
A funeral service will be held Thursday, May 19, at Crestwood Funeral Home, 445 W. 43rd Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues) in New York City. Visiting Hours Sessions: 2pm – 4pm & 5pm – 8pm.
A mass service will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, May 20, at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on 5th Avenue in Manhattan.
