CRE Industry Pays Tribute to Julien Studley

By Anna Spiewak, Senior News Editor

The commercial real estate industry has lost an influential tenant rep pioneer this week. Julien J. Studley passed away in his home on Oct. 13 at the age of 88.

Studley was noted for establishing real estate brokerage firm Julien J. Studley Inc. in 1954, which became the foremost tenant-oriented CRE firm in New York and later in other major cities throughout the country. It is known today as Savills Studley, and remains one of  New York’s leading commercial real estate brokerage firms.

Julien Studley

“The entire Savills Studley family profoundly mourns the recent death of its former colleague and friend, Julien Studley,” said  Mitchell Steir, chairman & CEO, and Michael Colacino, president of Savills Studley, in a prepared statement. “As a broker, Julien advocated tenaciously for his clients—a trait that remains in the DNA of our firm’s culture today. As a leader he supported creativity, collaboration and, yes, a little healthy competition, inspiring people from all walks of life to be the best they could be.”

Studley was born Julien Joseph Stuckgold in Brussels in 1927. In 1940, his family fled his home country as the Nazis invaded. He eventually ended up in the United States in 1944, and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. After establishing his real estate brokerage firm back in New York City, Studley became well-known as a valued advisor of commercial tenants on all real estate matters.

“He was a renaissance man, he was smart as they come, a visionary,” industry veteran Stephen Siegel, chairman at CBRE, who did business with Studley over the years, told CPE. “He was a really good competitor. By that, I mean it was a pleasure to have a compatible relationship and be on the battlefield from time to time with him, but never in a contentious way.”

“Julien Studley was a true legend in the commercial real estate industry and was on the forefront of tenant representation,” another industry veteran Roger Staubach, executive chairman at JLL, told CPE. “I looked up to him when I was starting my own real estate company.  We spoke together on several real estate panels and we always had a lot of fun.  It was an honor and privilege to know him.”

Beyond the CRE industry, Studley was an avid philantropist in New York, serving as chairman of the New School for Social Research and of the Film Society of Lincoln Center. He has also served as a member of the boards of Lincoln Center and the Graduate School of CUNY.

He is survived by his wife of 28 years, Jane Studley; his son Jacob; his sister-in-law Helen Studley; stepson Ni jun and his wife Lulu; as well as his step grandchildren Adam and Benjamin.

According to sources, funeral services for the CRE icon will be held on Friday, Oct. 16 at 10 a.m. at Riverside Memorial Chapel, 180 W. 76th St.