Geoffrey Palmer (real estate developer)
| Geoffrey H. Palmer | |
|---|---|
| Residence | Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater |
University of Colorado at Boulder Pepperdine School of Law |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Spouse(s) | Anne Palmer |
Geoffrey Palmer is an American real estate developer and Republican donor.
Personal life and education
Palmer is the son of architect and developer Daniel Saxon Palmer, who was born as Dan Weissinger in Budapest, Hungary in 1920.[1][2] The younger Palmer grew up in Malibu, California.[3] Palmer attended Santa Monica College for one year before transferring to the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he earned a degree in finance.[4] Palmer then attended Pepperdine School of Law, receiving his juris doctorate.[4]
Career
After clerking for a California superior court judge, Palmer decided not to pursue law as a profession.[4] Palmer instead pursued a career in residential real estate, founding GH Palmer Associates in 1978.[4] Palmer opened his first major development in Santa Clarita, California in 1985.[3] During the 1990s, Palmer focused on building town homes in the suburbs of Los Angeles.[3]
In 2001, Palmer completed the 632-unit Medici, the first of a series of downtown "fortress-like" Italian-inspired apartment blocks situated beside freeways.[5][6] The construction of the Medici coincided with a broader revival of downtown Los Angeles.[7] Other buildings in the "Renaissance collection" built by Palmer include the Orsini and the Lorenzo.[6] The Renaissance collection buildings are walled off from city streets, and include skyways to allow tenants to avoid using city streets.[3]
Palmer has clashed with local government officials and activists, in part due to criticism of the style of his apartment buildings.[6] Councilman Ed Reyes also criticized Palmer for the destruction of an 1887 Victorian-style building.[6] In 2015, Eddie Kim of Los Angeles Downtown News described Palmer as both the "most prolific" and "most controversial" developer in downtown Los Angeles.[8]
Palmer is worth an estimated US$3 billion.[9]
Political activities
In 1991, Palmer paid a $30,000 fine after being accused of laundering campaign contributions in order to prevent the incorporation of Santa Clarita.[3] Palmer donated $500,000 to Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign, and $2 million to Donald Trump's presidential campaign.[3] Palmer has also donated to American Crossroads, the Republican National Committee, and the National Republican Congressional Committee.[3]
Personal life
Palmer has a wife, Anne, who was born in Paris, France.[10] They have a son.[10] They reside in Burton E. Green's former residence in Beverly Hills, California, with a secondary property in Saint-Tropez, France.[10] He plays polo.[11]
Philanthropy
In late 2004 he became an active board member of the Los Angeles Music Center. He has served as Trustee on the Board of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). He is also an active contributor to the Pepperdine School of Law and has endowed The Geoffrey H. Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law.
References
- ↑ Artsy, Avishay (17 February 2016). "How architect William Krisel built a desert oasis". KRCW. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ↑ Noland, Claire (29 January 2007). "Dan Saxon Palmer, 86; architect of 1950s' Modernist tract homes". LA Times. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Tinoco, Matt (4 August 2016). "Trump's Los Angeles Money Man". Politico. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 Gibson, Rick (Spring 2006). "Los Angeles Renaissance" (PDF). Pepperdine People. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ↑ Newman, Morris (4 June 2000). "Apartments, Finally, for Downtown Los Angeles". New York Times. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 Zahniser, David; Vincent, Roger (8 December 2014). "Geoffrey Palmer seen as both downtown L.A. trailblazer, steamroller". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ↑ Anderton, Frances (25 January 2001). "Swank Plans In Skid Row Los Angeles". New York Times. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ↑ Kim, Eddie (23 October 2015). "Geoff Palmer Speaks Out". Los Angeles Downtown News. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ↑ Carroll, Rory (July 22, 2016). "Meet Donald Trump's biggest donor (he also loves to build walls)". The Guardian. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
Palmer, estimated to be worth $3bn, is not well known in donor circles and has not previously made donations of that size, according to Bloomberg, which first reported the donation.
- 1 2 3 Haldeman, Peter (March 31, 2005). "Affinity for Opulence: Paying Tribute to a Founder of Beverly Hills With a Remake of His Former Estate". Architectural Digest. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ↑ Stovall, Susan (August 2010). "Polo on the French Riviera @ St. Tropez Polo Club". Polozone.com. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
From California Geoff Palmer had his Antelope shirts on his team with another winter California player, Caroline Anier(2), and Martin Garrahan(7) and Fati Reynot (6) rounding out his team. Both in the International Cup and the Open de Gassin, Geoff Palmer was the leading amateur scorer – one game making 7 goals. Fergus Gould – another Southern California import is the head umpire for the season.