Shaping the Skyline: The World According to Real Estate Visionary Julien Studley [Hardcover]

Peter Hellman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 30, 2004

"Julien Studley is one of the great leaders in the real estate industry. He built a thriving business based upon hard work, creativity, integrity, and skill. In a time when the news is full of corporate scandal and executive excess, it is gratifying to read Julien Studley's story-he has always focused on doing the right thing. As Julien's career and life amply attest, how you conduct business is integral to your success. Julien's talent is unique and his story inspirational."
--Jerry I. Speyer
President and CEO
Tishman Speyer Properties

"An intimate portrait of Julien Studley, a man whose keen intellect, ambition, and courage have made him into one of the most successful business leaders of our time-a true real estate visionary."
--Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-MO)

Julien Studley's story is much more than a standard corporate biography. It is, in fact, a riveting tale of late twentieth century corporate America, a time in which America's global business dominance was built on the vision and sacrifice of individualists who were strong, stubborn, and above all, resourceful. Shaping the Skyline examines Studley's long and distinguished career and reveals his unique approach to real estate, negotiating strategies, leadership, and management that have led him to create one of the most successful commercial real estate companies in the nation.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

JULIEN STUDLEY has had a profound impact on the skyline of America, an impact that continues to this day. Yet this brilliant real estate pioneer never designed an office building, nor constructed a skyscraper. What are the secrets to his success?

Shaping the Skyline is the compelling story of how Julien Studley transformed himself from an unschooled immigrant into the founder of one of the nation’s most successful commercial real estate companies. Written by globally known real estate writer Peter Hellman, this fascinating book draws on Hellman’s hundreds of hours of interviews with Studley, along with friends both in and out of the business world (since, almost to a person, those who know Julien Studley consider him a friend), to reveal the deeply personal story of a man who:

• Fled Belgium at age twelve to escape Nazi persecution, mattresses strapped to the roof of the family car for protection against German strafing
• Founded his New York City real estate brokerage in 1954 with a focus on representing tenants rather than owners
• Foresaw the upcoming boom in office construction that would bring on a new wave of tenants needing skilled and determined advocacy
• Shrewdly–and ever so quietly–gained control between 1969 and 1973 over the New York City block that would become the landmark Citicorp Center
• Pioneered the concept of "teaming" to grow his fledgling enterprise into a commercial real estate powerhouse
• Watched in horror as his firm’s 86th floor World Trade Center office–along with two beloved employees–were lost during 9/11

Julien Studley’s story is much more than a standard corporate biography. It is, in fact, a riveting tale of late twentieth century corporate America, a time in which America’s global business dominance was built on the vision and sacrifice of individualists who were strong, stubborn, and above all, resourceful. Shaping the Skyline reveals how Julien Studley created a unique corporate culture in which men and women from unlikely backgrounds–ranging from a dental hygienist to a dancer–were empowered to successfully and repeatedly pull off complex and lucrative deals with million-dollar payoffs. Through its detailed and dramatic personal insights into how Studley and his team conceived and executed deals of great complexity, you’ll learn about what it really takes to achieve breakthrough success in corporate America–and an MBA is not required.

From the Back Cover

"Julien Studley is one of the great leaders in the real estate industry. He built a thriving business based upon hard work, creativity, integrity, and skill. In a time when the news is full of corporate scandal and executive excess, it is gratifying to read Julien Studley’s story–he has always focused on doing the right thing. As Julien’s career and life amply attest, how you conduct business is integral to your success. Julien’s talent is unique and his story inspirational."
—Jerry I. Speyer
President and CEO
Tishman Speyer Properties

"An intimate portrait of Julien Studley, a man whose keen intellect, ambition, and courage have made him into one of the most successful business leaders of our time–a true real estate visionary."
—Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-MO)

Julien Studley’s story is much more than a standard corporate biography. It is, in fact, a riveting tale of late twentieth century corporate America, a time in which America’s global business dominance was built on the vision and sacrifice of individualists who were strong, stubborn, and above all, resourceful. Shaping the Skyline examines Studley’s long and distinguished career and reveals his unique approach to real estate, negotiating strategies, leadership, and management that have led him to create one of the most successful commercial real estate companies in the nation.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (August 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471657662
• ISBN-13: 978-0471657668
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,652,420 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book if you want to learn about Real Estate Brokerage, December 10, 2004

By 

John P. Drachman (Newport Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shaping the Skyline: The World According to Real Estate Visionary Julien Studley (Hardcover)

I would encourage anyone to read this book if you are interested in learning more about how Commercial Real Estate Brokerage works. Especially if you are currently a broker, this book is for you.

However, if you want to learn about development of huge commercial real estate projects, this book might not be what your looking for. It goes in-depth on deals made over the last 40 years in NYC but speaks more on the sales/leasing end and less on the development end.

However the man's story is a great American Dream turned true and will no doubt give you a great look into the Commercial Real Estate world.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lively and Interesting, September 8, 2006

By 

Atherton Reader (Atherton, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Shaping the Skyline: The World According to Real Estate Visionary Julien Studley (Hardcover)

The author, Peter Hellman, walks us through Julien Studley's upbringing and professional life in a story-telling manner that is fun, engaging, and full of interesting details. His quotes from individuals and depiction of Studley are not imbalanced with ingratiating self-promotion -- like that of other real estate "tycoon" books. Rather he tries to portray a soft-spoken, strong-willed immigrant who's seen every kind of deal in NYC. Ultimately, one may not be entirely convinced that Studley was "Shaping the Skyline" of NYC, but that he is an unusual character that played a part in NYC's real estate history as a broker.

In this authorized biography, Studley aims to demonstrate that amongst a crowd of boisterous competitive brokers he is sophisticated and honorable with some examples within the context of some deals. Because of his Holocaust-escaping experience, he speaks several European languages and immigrated to the US with a strong sense of purpose and survival skills. After decades of street-smarts and experience-led-wisdom, his rough edges may have been softened, but his skills as a negotiator and arbiter are amongst the best.

Reason for a 4-star (rather than a 5-star) rating is the author tends to exaggerate the impact of brokers on real estate developments and outcomes. Although understandable because his sources are mainly brokers, one does question the reality of intermediaries -- even those as successful as Studley. Similar to why high-energy sales people may never make good CEOs, front-line brokers are unaware or uninterested in the complexities of how property developments materialize after the paper marked "sale" is signed. For instance, on pg 131, Michael Colacino, a high-performance broker, is described as completing Time Warner's innovative $1 billion synthetic lease. The analysis, due diligence, and decision to execute a synthetic lease involve a company's lawyers and bankers far more than its broker. And for a broker to claim a leading role on a synthetic lease deal causes the reader to wonder about the bravado during that particular interview.

Another mild disappointment about the book is that it spends many chapters talking about Studley's company and not about him. Anecdotally, it talks about their company outings, offices, and managers but the reader is left wondering how does this relate to the "visionary" and his story. I would have rather seen chapters about Studley's homelife, how he invests, or evolving religious views.

In sum, however, a good book and an entertaining read that can inspire a real estate professionals or not -- alike.