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Ian Reisner

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Ian Reisner
Born (1968-06-27) June 27, 1968 (age 56)
New York, NY
NationalityAmerican
Alma materCornell University
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur
Real estate developer
Years active1990–present
PartnerMati Weiderpass (1993-2012)
Websiteparkviewdevelopers.com

Ian Simpson Reisner (born June 27, 1968)[1] is an American entrepreneur, and hotel and real estate developer. He is the founder of Parkview Developers, and co-founder of Watch World International and The Out NYC hotel & resort.

Early life and education

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Reisner was born and raised in a Jewish family[2] in New York City.[3] He graduated from Cornell University in 1990,.[4]

Career

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Watch World

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In 1994, while still working at Salomon Brothers,[5] Reisner, his partner Mati Weiderpass and Paul Dominguez founded Watch World International,[6][7] opening the first Watch World store in New York City's SoHo neighborhood that year.[8][9] By July 1997, they had opened nine New York locations.[6] By 2000, Watch World had become a national chain of 119 stores.[10] On June 8, 2000, Sunglass Hut International announced that it had purchased Watch World for $30 million in cash, stock and debt.[10]

Parkview Developers and The 505

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Reisner is the founder, managing partner and president of Parkview Developers, a developer of residential and hotel properties, primarily in New York City, which he founded with Mati Weiderpass in 2000.[11]

In 2007, Reisner and Weiderpass launched a 109-unit luxury condominium constructed on the site originally built for the New York Central Railroad in the 1930s.[12]

Parkview Developers owns 20 units in the 230 Central Park South building in New York City.[13][14] Starting in the early 1990s, Reisner and Weiderpass bought roughly half of the apartment units in the 19-story building.[13] They combined, renovated and sold many of the units,[13] including a penthouse sold for $11.9 million in 2014.[15] Reisner lives in one of the penthouses in the building.[16] Parkview Developers formerly owned and operated the Carnegie Hotel in Manhattan, near Columbus Circle.[11]

The Out NYC

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In 2007, after spending a few nights at the Axel Hotel Barcelona, part of a small chain of upscale hotels aimed at a gay clientele, Reisner decided to open a similar type of hotel in New York. He located a vacant space in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood and secured a 49-year lease. The property was originally home to a Travelodge in the 1960s, and was later used as a Red Cross homeless shelter.[7]

The hotel opened on March 1, 2012.[17] The $30 million entertainment complex consists of a three-story, 70,000 square-foot hotel with 105 rooms, the 11,000 square-foot XL/BPM Nightclub, the Mediterranean-inspired KTCHN Restaurant, an art gallery, outdoor gardens, a spa and a bar.[7][18][19][20] The Out NYC was built after five years of planning.[21] It won a Trendsetter Hotel Award from Fodor's in 2012,[22] and in 2014 Fodor's named its garden one of the world's 10 most beautiful hotel gardens.[23] Past performers at The Out NYC and the XL/BPM Nightclub include Alan Cumming, Cyndi Lauper and Ariana Grande;[3][24] celebrity guests include Lady Gaga, Perez Hilton, James Franco and Nick Jonas.[4][25][26]

Reisner was sued by architect Paul Dominguez in 2013 for his failure to properly compensate Dominguez for work on the Out NYC.[27]

Fire Island Pines

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On January 22, 2015, Reisner and Sip-N-Twirl nightclub owner P.J. McAteer purchased a strip of commercial real estate along the harbor on Fire Island Pines, a gay destination on Long Island, New York, for $10.1 million at auction.[28]

Television and film

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Reisner appeared on season 3 of Million Dollar Listing New York on Bravo.[14] His penthouse duplex at 230 Central Park South has appeared on 30 Rock and in the film Did You Hear About the Morgans?[15] The Out NYC was featured on the sitcom Happily Divorced.[29]

Controversy

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On October 29, 2014, 23-year-old Sean Verdi died of an apparent drug overdose at St. Luke's Hospital in Manhattan after being found unconscious in a Manhattan apartment owned by Reisner. Sean had to be pulled out of the shower before Ian could get out. Only Ian knows what happened in the shower that night.[30][31]

On April 20, 2015, Reisner and Weiderpass hosted Republican US Senator Ted Cruz at Reisner's apartment.[32] News of the chat led to controversy in the gay community and calls for boycotts of Reisner's businesses, with the charity Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS canceling a scheduled fundraiser at XL Nightclub in protest.[33][34] On April 26, Reisner put out a statement on his Facebook page, apologizing for showing "poor judgment" in hosting the event, adding that he made "a terrible mistake."[35][36] Reisner raised further controversy when, as part of his response to the episode, he referred to his gay clientele as "frugal" and "entitled".[37][38]

Personal life

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Reisner's brother, equestrian Ross Reisner, was murdered in September 2013 by Brett C. Knight. Knight was sentenced to 22 years in prison for the crime.[39]

References

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  1. ^ “Gay and straight couples dance in Vienna for AIDS fundraiser,” Terra Daily, May 21, 2006.
  2. ^ JP Updates: "Jewish Republican Holds Reelection Fundraiser For Wisconsin Senator" by Suzanne Vega April 16, 2015
  3. ^ a b Michael Cook, “The OUT NYC Interview With Owner Ian Reisner,” Get Out! Magazine, October 18, 2012.
  4. ^ a b “Out & About: Ian Reisner ‘90,” Cornell Alumni Magazine, September / October 2014.
  5. ^ “How Ian Reisner Got Into Real Estate Development,” AOL Real Estate. Accessed March 18, 2015.
  6. ^ a b “Watches as Fashion: It's Later Than You Think,” The New York Times, September 14, 1997.
  7. ^ a b c Beth Greenfield, “A Resort for Gays Rises in Manhattan,” The New York Times, August 17, 2010.
  8. ^ “A Watch for Every Mood And Fashion,” The New York Times, October 20, 1996.
  9. ^ Abby Ellin, “Some Time on Their Hands,” The New York Times, June 25, 2000.
  10. ^ a b “Sunglass Hut Doubles Watch Business With Acquisition,” The New York Times, June 8, 2000.
  11. ^ a b “Real Estate Mogul Ian Reisner Dishes on the East End,” Dan's Papers, February 18, 2015.
  12. ^ Josh Barbanel, “Secret Gardens Grow in Hell’s Kitchen,” Wall Street Journal, April 30, 2010.
  13. ^ a b c Christopher Gray, “Central Park South, the View That Sneaked Up on the City,” The New York Times, August 15, 2013.
  14. ^ a b Luis D. Ortiz, “Luis Will Do What It Takes for Ian’s Trust,” bravotv.com, May 14, 2014.
  15. ^ a b Chris Pomorski, “Home at Last? Developer Duo Drops Central Park Penthouse for $11.9M,” New York Observer, July 11, 2014.
  16. ^ Sarah Portlock, “Inside the home of Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass of Parkview Developers,” The Real Deal, June 2, 2009.
  17. ^ “Gay friendly, 105-room THE OUT NYC open for business in New York City,” Today, March 1, 2012.
  18. ^ Steven McElroy, “To Be a Hotel and Gay in New York,” The New York Times, March 16, 2012.
  19. ^ Chadner Navarro, “6 hot resorts for adults only,” CNN, May 14, 2013.
  20. ^ David Kaufman, “Not Just Gay-Friendly: Here Come the Ultra-Gay Hotels,” Time, December 8, 2010.
  21. ^ Tony Peregrin, “Chicago may get a gay boutique hotel,” RedEye, April 8, 2013.
  22. ^ “Hotel Awards 2012: Trendsetter,” Fodor's, 2012.
  23. ^ “World’s 10 Most Beautiful Hotel Gardens,” Fodor's, April 8, 2014.
  24. ^ Marc Malkin, “Ariana Grande Performs at Gay Club After Saturday Night Live: Yup, Boyfriend Big Was There!” E! Online, September 28, 2014.
  25. ^ Diana Cooper, “’This is Like Every Girl’s Dream Right Here’,” Life & Style, April 5, 2014.
  26. ^ Dan Avery, “Nick Jonas Shows Off Killer Abs At NYC Gay Nightclub,” NewNowNext, September 9, 2014.
  27. ^ Paul Dominguez, "OUT hotel co-founder sues former business partner over ownership stake" "The Real Deal", May 31, 2013.
  28. ^ Southall, Ashley (2015-01-23). "Gay Mecca on Fire Island Sells for $10.1 Million at Auction". The New York Times.
  29. ^ David Vincent, “The Out NYC – New York’s new all singing, all dancing gay hotel,” The Guardian, March 15, 2012.
  30. ^ "Boys of Summer Regular Sean Verdi Found Dead". Philadelphia Magazine. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  31. ^ Celona, Larry; Sullivan, C. J.; Tacopino, Joe (30 October 2014). "Man found dead in bathtub with hotel mogul at home". New York Post. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  32. ^ Maggie Haberman, "Ted Cruz Is Guest of Two Gay Businessmen," The New York Times, April 23, 2015.
  33. ^ " Broadway Bares Solo Strips Canceled," Archived 2015-04-24 at the Wayback Machine Broadway Cares, April 24, 2015.
  34. ^ Maggie Haberman, "Ted Cruz Event in New York Prompts Boycott Threats," The New York Times, April 24, 2015.
  35. ^ Maggie Haberman, "Gay Businessman Who Hosted Ted Cruz Event Apologizes," The New York Times, April 26, 2015.
  36. ^ Michelangelo Signorile , "Why the Boycott Against Ted Cruz's Gay Hosts Is a Watershed Moment," Huffington Post, May 4, 2015.
  37. ^ Carl Swanson, "The Owners of the Out Hotel on Why They Hosted Ted Cruz and the Backlash From the Gay Community," New York, May 1, 2015.
  38. ^ J. Bryan Lowder, "The Reisner/Weiderpass Scandal Reaches New Depths," Slate, May 29, 2015.
  39. ^ Ryan Bonner, "Man Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison For Ross Reisner Murder in Setauket," Port Jefferson Patch, February 11, 2015.
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