Is Donald Trump The Largest Property Owner In NYC?

Before Donald Trump was the 45th president of the United States, he was best known for his real estate investing chops. 

While Trump has real estate properties worldwide, he does most of his business in New York City. Well-known projects in and around the city include Trump Tower, 1 Central Park West, Trump Park Avenue, Trump World Tower, Trump Palace, Trump Plaza and Trump Tower City Center.

With so many years of investing and developing in the city, it's easy to assume that Trump is one of the largest property owners in the Big Apple. 

But You May Be Surprised

Trump may be one of the biggest names in New York real estate, but he's far from the largest property owner. Many others top him. 

The City Of New York

The City of New York is the largest property owner in the city — and it's not even close. With 362.1 million square feet in its name, the city owns 1.5 times more than the top 10 private companies combined. 

Vornado Realty Trust

Vornado Realty Trust VNO checks in at second place with 29.7 million square feet. One Penn Plaza and 220 Central Park South are two of its best-known projects. 

SL Green Realty 

With 28.7 million square feet to its name, SL Green Realty Corp. SLG isn't far behind Vornado Realty Trust.  One Vanderbilt, which opened in 2020, is just one of its many notable projects. 

Tishman Speyer

Tishman Speyer owns 20.5 million square feet of real estate in New York City. This includes recent projects such as the downtown Brooklyn Macy's and Rockefeller Center. Those are some big names. 

Blackstone Group

Blackstone Inc. BX owns 20.1 million square feet of real estate in New York City, including the Stuyvesant Town–Peter Cooper Village. 

Rounding out the top 10 are Related Cos., Columbia University, Brookfield Property Partners, RXR Realty and New York University. 

While these companies are the largest property owners in New York City, many others continue to make moves. For example, Empire State Realty Trust Inc. ESRT — owner of the Empire State Building — owns approximately 10 million square feet and is growing. 

Trump isn't the largest property owner in New York City — he's far from it. 

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