Peter S. Kalikow is President of H.J. Kalikow & Co. LLC, one of New York City’s leading real estate firms. He is the former Chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), former Commissioner of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, past owner and publisher of the New York Post, and current Chairman of the Grand Central Partnership.
Mr. Kalikow began his career in real estate in 1967 and became President of H.J. Kalikow & Co. in 1973. Following his father’s death in 1982, Mr. Kalikow assumed responsibility for the Kalikow holdings. Mr. Kalikow is the third generation to preside over his family’s 82 year-old real estate company founded in 1927. Under his leadership, H.J. Kalikow & Co. has developed millions of square feet of commercial office space as well as constructed many prominent residential apartment houses in Manhattan.
As a leader in New York City real estate, Mr. Kalikow is an active participant in every major real estate association and serves as a Governor of the Real Estate Board of New York. In recognition of his leadership, he has received numerous real estate awards, including the Harry Helmsley Award, the Award for Excellence by the Building Owners and Managers Association of Greater New York for the development of 101 Park Avenue, and the Golden Circle Award. He previously served on the boards of the Rent Stabilization Association and was presented the Fred C. Trump Outstanding Real Estate Achievement Award by the Associated Builders and Owners of Greater New York.
Mr. Kalikow has a longstanding commitment to public service, and has served in a number of important roles. He served on the Board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the state authority which oversees the operations, planning, and financing of the New York metropolitan area’s subways, buses, commuter railroads, bridges and tunnels, and acted as MTA Chairman until October, 2007. He was also a Commissioner of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, a bi-state authority which operates the region’s three major airports, bridges, tunnels, port districts and PATH commuter rail system. Mr. Kalikow currently serves on the Board of the New York Building Congress, an association committed to promoting the growth of the construction industry in the New York metropolitan region.
Mr. Kalikow serves as Chairman of the Grand Central Partnership Board of Directors. The Grand Central Partnership is one of the largest and most successful Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in New York City, comprising 76 million square feet of commercial real estate in a 70-block area. Mr. Kalikow is very familiar with the area covered by the Grand Central Partnership, as his company headquarters, 101 Park Avenue, was one of the first new office developments in the area dating back to 1982.
From 1988 through 1994, Mr. Kalikow was the owner of the New York Post, the oldest daily newspaper in America founded by Alexander Hamilton in 1801.
Mr. Kalikow is involved in many philanthropic causes. He is a Trustee of New York-Presbyterian Hospital, a member of its executive committee, and chairman of the real estate committee. In May 1977, the Peter and Mary Kalikow Pediatric Intensive Care Unit was established at New York Hospital. He is a founding trustee of the Museum of Jewish Heritage at Battery Park in New York City, has served on the board of the Jewish National Fund, and is the recipient of awards from the UJA-Federation and Anti-Defamation League of the B’nai B’rith. In 1982, he was presented with the Peace Medal, Israel’s highest civilian award, for his many years in aiding the nation’s development, including his efforts related to Israel Bonds.
Mr. Kalikow is a member of the Board of Trustees of Hofstra University and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Law Degree in 1986. He received Hofstra’s Alumni of the Year Award in 1988. An active student of the American Presidency, Mr. Kalikow endowed the Peter S. Kalikow Chair in Presidential Studies and created the Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency. His support was instrumental in Hofstra’s recent designation as the site of one of the three 2008 presidential debates sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates.
In November, 2008, Mr. Kalikow was honored with the Commendatore in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, one of the highest honors bestowed by the Government of Italy. Mr. Kalikow is widely recognized as a cultural ambassador for his economic and philanthropic efforts as they relate to Italy.
Born in New York City, Mr. Kalikow received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Hofstra University in 1965. He is married to the former Mary Typaldos Jacobatos. They have two children, a son Nicholas Alexander and a daughter Kathryn Harold.
