Earle Altman, Founder of ABS Partners Real Estate, Dies at 93

Earle Altman, founder of ABS Partners Real Estate and a veteran at brokerage Helmsley Spear, has died at 93.

Altman passed on May 1, according to a press release from the Young Men’s/Women’s Real Estate Association, an organization that Altman once chaired. The Real Deal first reported the news of Altman’s death.

“The industry, and many of us personally, have lost a giant in the real estate industry,” Kent Swig, president of Helmsley Spear, said in a statement sent to Commercial Observer. “I had known Earle for over 40 years and so admired his integrity, kindness and creativity. I will miss him greatly.”

A spokesperson for ABS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Altman spent 40 years at Helmsley Spear as a manager for the company’s sales and leasing divisions before branching off in 1999 to found ABS with Gregg Schenker, Peter Burack and Steven Hornstock, which currently has 102 buildings and more than 14 million square feet in its inventory across the country, according to its website.

At the helm of the ship was Altman, who oversaw acquisitions, sales, management and leasing for the firm, which has buildings such as 915 Broadway, 270 Madison Avenue and 200 Park Avenue South in its New York City portfolio, its website shows. He served as chairman of the company before he retired.

“Earle was truly a force of nature, an incredibly astute and consummate professional, but above all, he will be remembered as a devoted husband, father and family man,” Schenker wrote in a tribute.

Bill Montana, senior managing director at Savills, wrote a tribute to Altman on his LinkedIn page over the weekend, calling Altman “one of the greats” and “a giant in New York City real estate.”

“But more importantly, he was a friend and mentor to literally thousands of people and a huge contributor to society with his time and his resources,” Montana wrote in his post. “He made an impact in everything he did throughout his life. He was a true friend and a mentor to me.”

Altman also served on the boards of Carnegie Hall, M&T Bank, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Real Estate Board of New York.

He is survived by his wife Linda; daughters Leslie, Jennifer and Liz; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Isabelle Durso can be reached at idurso@commercialobserver.com.