Glazer’s vision to continue for city

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Success is catchy, Buckingham Properties CEO and Managing Partner Laurence Glazer remarked in May at the official start of construction on The Tower at Midtown.

Many city leaders believe the infectious optimism Glazer and his wife Jane Glazer demonstrated in both their business dealings and philanthropic efforts over the years — as well as their outlook for Rochester’s future — is indeed catchy and will continue in the wake of their deaths.

Glazer and his wife, Jane, who was CEO and founder of the successful QCI Direct catalog company, died Sept. 5 after the plane they were traveling to Florida in veered off course and eventually crashed near Jamaica.

Since learning of the tragedy, Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks has been asking herself, “What would Larry Glazer have wanted us to do as a community?”

“Certainly he would want us to continue to embrace his vision and continue to believe downtown Rochester is worth fighting for, to continue to work with the team he built at Buckingham Properties and his family members to follow through on the vision he started,” Brooks said Monday. “That’s a big vision.”

In a statement released Monday afternoon, Buckingham Properties said Glazer groomed three partners to help him lead the firm he co-founded in 1970 – his sons, Richard and Kenneth Glazer, and Daniel Goldstein, who previously served as the company’s chief financial officer for many years.

“Larry Glazer built Buckingham Properties one brick at a time, over 40 years,” the statement reads. “He taught himself how to take a building apart, and then how to put it back together to be stronger, more efficient and to last the test of time. Larry was forthright in his planning and made sure to build Buckingham Properties in just the same manner. Larry did this by creating multiple departments staffed with strong, experienced leaders responsible for establishing and managing each phase of the commercial real estate business, including development, property management, finance and leasing.”

Partners and employees have been grieving privately since the tragic loss Sept. 5, the statement continues, and partners, tenants, bankers and community leaders have reached out with friendship and support, which has been appreciated.

“We will soon be available to address the questions and concerns the community may have in regard to the successful completion of the many visible projects we are currently developing,” the statement reads. “Buckingham Properties, through its strong leadership team, is committed to fulfilling the legacy Larry Glazer began some 40 years ago. We will do so one brick at a time in a manner that will continue to make our community, and Larry, proud.”

Rochester Business Alliance President and CEO Sandra Parker noted Glazer has partnered with capable and well-qualified people, but the Glazers’ deaths are a devastating loss.

“Clearly it was Larry who had the energy, optimism and the resources to get the engine started,” Parker said. “Larry was a very convincing guy. He was very low-key, asked right-on questions and had an energy level and sense of ‘We can do it.’ It was catching. She was an interesting individual in her own right.”

In many ways, Glazer seemed to be leading the way toward what many call resurgence in downtown living and working. He invested millions in city developments, beyond the $59 million Midtown project, which calls for a mix of retail, office and residential development at the former urban shopping plaza site.

Buckingham Properties was founded by Glazer and partner Harold Samloff in 1970 after purchasing several apartments in the Park Avenue area of the city. Today, the company boasts a large portfolio of manufacturing, office, medical office and rental properties locally.

More than 60 properties have been revitalized, including Alexander Park, the former Genesee Hospital campus, Michaels-Stern building and many others. He also owned the Xerox Tower and former Bausch and Lomb tower, which as part of the $15 million purchase price was expected to receive about $6 million in renovations.

Part of his success came through his force of nature, his optimism and gut-level savviness of the market, but part of it also is he had excellent people working for him, said Heidi Zimmer-Meyer, president of Rochester Downtown Development Corp who has worked with and been friends with  Glazer for years.

He and his team had the ability to redevelop a property, and not only fill it but create value, Zimmer-Meyer said. Then do the same with a neighboring property. That blueprint for success was repeated over and over.

“He was kind of brilliant at that,” Zimmer-Meyer said. “He does beautiful work on the buildings he loved. The proof is in the success of his projects.”

Glazer took on projects that were not easy — and he demonstrated a faith in them when others thought it might not be a very good investment, said U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., during remarks at an appearance Monday. He was a happy, indomitable and relentless visionary.

“He worked tirelessly not just to buy these buildings but to revitalize them and breathe new life into them,” Schumer said. “He was creating a foundation that will help downtown Rochester for generations to come.”

The Glazers’ death came two days after Rochester police officer Daryl Pierson was shot to death, prompting Mayor Lovely A. Warren and City Council President Loretta C. Scott to mourn the loss of two heroes, including the man they called “the father of downtown development.”

“It is difficult to put into words how much Larry Glazer has meant to our community,” Warren and Scott said in a joint statement. “Larry worked hard to return a sense of vitality and excitement to our Center City. His efforts helped to lift our spirits and restore our sense of optimism. He has been a treasured friend and partner.”

His and his wife’s success was not limited to business.

Daniel Katz, president and CEO of Jewish Senior Life, considered Larry and his wife Jane close, personal friends and they will be missed.

“Not only was Larry a successful businessman, he was committed to making a difference in our community, serving on numerous boards, including time as board chair for Jewish Senior Life,” Katz said in a statement. “Larry’s influence was felt throughout Rochester and he was always motivated to do right, help and make a positive difference in every endeavor. Larry and Jane’s passion and commitment to the Rochester community ran deep and we’ve all lost two good friends.”

Glazer’s legacy will always be etched in the prominent Rochester skyline for Brooks, which will be a visible reminder of and a great tribute to him.

“We’re a community that doesn’t let challenge and tragedy define us; the spirit of our people ends up defining those events,” Brooks said. “We’re mourning, we’re grieving but we’re also celebrating the lives of these two amazing people and all that they stood for and all that they contributed to our quality of life. I think that’s what we do well.”

Glazer was iconic, which by definition is irreplaceable and a void is left with his passing, said Zimmer-Meyer. But his business has a deep bench and solid partnerships put in place over the years mean there is talent to move some of his visionary projects forward, she said.

“The loss of Larry is huge,” Zimmer-Meyer said. “My hope is that it may pull greatness out of others. I am optimistic that over time, other leaders will step into the breach.”