Power 100 2026: Who Jumped the Highest

He might be 94 years old, but, man, Larry Silverstein can jump.

Last year, Silverstein Properties stood at an extremely respectable No. 36 in the Power 100 rankings. It’s the kind of position shared with billion-dollar companies whose footprint in real estate can never be questioned.

But when Silverstein earlier this year scored a 2 million-square-foot lease with American Express to anchor his company’s 2 World Trade Center … Whoa.

Of course, this was not just a normal anchor tenant and not just a normal skyscraper that was being developed. The rebuilding of the World Trade Center has been going on for decades. For those of us of a certain age who wept as we watched our city smolder after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, rebuilding that site meant something. When Larry Silverstein vowed to the world that he would be the one to do it, people in real estate, New Yorkers and Americans all swelled with pride.

And, while Silverstein largely lived up to his promise (as did the Durst Organization and the Port Authority), WTC 2 was elusive. For almost a quarter of a century the necessary anchor (and, with it, the incumbent financing) for yet another multimillion-square-foot tower in Lower Manhattan could not be secured. Ambitious renderings appeared in the press, along with rumored tenants. But a signed contract always exceeded Silverstein’s grasp.

Not anymore.

With American Express in hand, the final tower is set for completion, and a hole in New York’s heart is filled in. That was the kind of showstopper that vaults a developer into the top 10.

Toward the top of Power 100, jumps become more difficult. Extell has been buying properties like Imelda Marcos once bought shoes. The firm also secured the largest construction loan in the city last year. Gary Barnett and Andrew Chung clocked in this year at No. 7, but given that they were No. 12 last year the jump doesn’t feel quite as dramatic.

That being said, there were other notable jumps this year. RXR was a respectable No. 21 on last year’s list. But, just days after Power 100 2025 was published, Scott Rechler plunked down more than $1 billion for 590 Madison Avenue — making it one of the biggest single office buys the city had seen in years. (Scott, you have to tell us about these things before we publish.) RXR has definitely earned a top 10 slot in 2026.

Prologis, the industrial behemoth, might have been lowballed with its ranking last year (No. 24). While it’s difficult to claim that 24 is low, when the industrial sector has been as ablaze as it has been, the largest landlord in the space deserves to level up. We placed Prologis at No. 12. (It still might be a little low. But what are we going to do, shove Blackstone down into the 50s?)

But, for the most part, rising in Power 100 can sometimes feel like battling bridge traffic on a holiday weekend. Moving up, even a bit, is hard. Often it’s a battle of inches. Here’s to those who keep their heads and move on up. 

Max Gross can be reached at mgross@commercialobserver.com.