WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES MARCH 1, 2018 25
OBITUARIES
George Kaufman, 89, revitalized studios in Astoria
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George Kaufman, the real estate
developer who helped inject
new life into the Astoria Studios
that now bear his name, died on
Feb. 20, less than a month shy of his
90th birthday.
Kaufman served as chairman of the
Kaufman Organization and Kaufman
Astoria Studios, one of the city’s biggest
media and entertainment hubs.
The studios had been closed for a decade
before Kaufman reopened them
and began reviving production there.
The studios became the foundation
of the Kaufman Arts District, the fi rst
district of its kind in Queens, and the
hub of a new neighborhood straddling
the Astoria/Long Island City border.
“George was so much more than a
real estate developer. He understood
deep in his bones the importance of
investing in New York’s communities
because they are the very foundation
of the city’s greatness,” said Hal Rosenbluth,
president and CEO of Kaufman
Astoria Studios, and one of Kaufman’s
long-time friends. “He was a visionary
who saw the promise of fi lm and television
production work in New York
long before it became an integral part
of the city’s economy.”
As chair of the Kaufman Organization,
he grew the three-generation,
family-owned and operated real estate
company into one of the city’s biggest
independent real estate companies. He
worked to achieve sustainable growth
in each neighborhood where his properties
were located.
Outside of industry, Kaufman was
an active member of the Real Estate
Board of New York and served on
the boards of numerous civic and
philanthropic organizations. They
include The Whitney Museum, the
Fashion Institute of Technology, Exploring
the Arts and the Museum of
the Moving Image, also located in the
Kaufman Arts District. He was also
the founding chairman of the Fashion
Center BID.
A veteran of the Korean War,
Kaufman earned his undergraduate
degree from Ohio State University and
his master’s degree from New York
University. He resided in New York
with his wife, Mariana. In addition to
his wife, he is survived by his daughter
Cynthia.
Services were offered on Monday,
Feb. 26, at Temple Emanu-El in
Manhattan.
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