Real Estate

Nominations released for deals of the year

Each spring, commercial real estate pros vie for the most coveted Real Estate Board of New York awards for sales, leases and financing deals completed during the previous year.

It started in 1944 at the REBNY Sales Brokers’ first dinner, and this committee still oversees the nomination and crowning process.

These awards are not given to the largest leases or most prominent deals, but to those where brokers must use resourcefulness in originating the transactions and seeing them through. The entries are judged on ingenuity, creativity and professional skill, in that order.

In 1991, first prize, known informally as the Most Ingenious Deal of the Year, was named the Henry Hart Rice Achievement Award after its four-time winner.

The second award was established in 1983 and named the Robert T.

Lawrence Award after a prominent member of the sales committee. In 2005, a third award was named for Edward S. Gordon, a distinguished broker whose eponymous firm was rolled into what is now known as CBRE.

Winners are chosen in sales, lease and finance. If there are less than three submissions in a field, entries are judged against the second place submissions from the other categories to determine a third winner. The three winners are then judged against each other to determine the first, second and third places.

Most of the brokers declined to be interviewed about deals, so these reports were compiled based on available information.

This year’s winners will be revealed at the Sales Brokers Committee’s 69th annual party on May 6 at the 101 Club, in the H.J. Kalikow & Co. office tower at 101 Park Ave.