New York real estate firm Williams Equities is celebrating its centenary this year. Led by Michael T. Cohen, Robert Getreu and Andrew Roos, the long-standing family business manages a portfolio benefiting particularly from sustained demand from technology companies in Midtown South and the overall resilience of the New York office market.
Evolution from brokerage house to portfolio holder
The company's origins date back to 1926, when Victor Cohen founded Williams & Company. After initially operating as a brokerage, the firm acquired its first proprietary property in 1953. By the end of that decade, the portfolio had already grown to 2.1 million square feet. In subsequent years, Williams built strategic partnerships with the families of Roos and Getreu, leading to acquisitions such as 1700 Broadway, 1 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza and 28-40 West 23rd Street.
In the 1990s, the company transformed into the brokerage and advisory firm GVA Williams to remain competitive in an increasingly institutionalised market environment. This branch was sold in 2008 and absorbed into Colliers' New York office. Reflecting on the move, Roos explained that the intention was to focus on managing property assets rather than personnel structures. Today, Williams Equities operates as an independent entity managing a portfolio of 14 properties, including twelve directly owned and two associated buildings, while the three partners concurrently hold senior positions at Colliers.
Capital reallocation and expansion in Midtown South
A key focus of activity lies in the Midtown South submarket. According to data from Colliers, this submarket recently recorded its strongest first half for office space leasing since 2002, driven by a 20 per cent rise in demand from the technology sector over two quarters.
Williams Equities harnessed this momentum for a targeted reallocation of its capital: following the sale of 655 Madison Avenue to Gary Barnett's Extell for 160 million dollars, the company acquired the property at 470 Park Avenue South for 147.5 million dollars at a significant discount. In addition, Williams Equities teamed up with Global Holdings and Cannon Hill Partners for a partnership at 888 Broadway in the Flatiron District.
Regarding future corporate governance, Cohen emphasised that the next generation was being prepared in a structured manner to safeguard the business over the long term. While Mac Roos, son of Andrew Roos, is already involved as part of the fourth generation, staffing for the coming decades remains an ongoing process. Roos pointed out that many major industry players of that era no longer exist today; the firm's continued existence across a full century was therefore a remarkable testament to endurance.
