which is now in its 18th year.

While the event is about showcasing new talent, Suna explained, it also helps boost the off-season economy of the Hamptons, where he owns a home.

At
the

Desk

of:

ChArles Cohen

22 January 2012 www.TheRealDeal.com

I
t shouldnt come as a surprise that eye-catching marble panels line the elevators at 750 Lexington Avenue, the headquarters of Cohen Brothers Realty Corporation. After all, the development firms best-known buildings are five national design centers, including the Decoration & Design Building (aka the D&D Building) at 979 Third Avenue, where vendors sell fabrics, furniture and stone finishes. The firm built a handful of glitzy office towers in Midtown in the 1970s and 1980s, including the red-granite, full-block 780 Third Avenue (which has since sold). Cohen Brothers also owns 135 East 57th Street, a high-rise with a circular plaza that movie fans might recognize as the home of the Green Goblin, the villain in 2002s Spider-Man. Fittingly, company CEO Charles Cohen, 59, produces movies on the side, a pastime thats taken on new intensity since his first film, Frozen River, was nominated for two Oscars in 2008. But most of the drama in his 28th-floor office comes from the views, which sweep across Manhattan. B y C. J. H ugHes
A smaller version of the mural by artist and graphic designer Paula Scher that can be seen on the exterior of 622 Third Avenue. Because Cohen believes art is crucial to architecture, he invited Pratt students last summer to showcase dozens of digitally generated prints in the stairwell of the D&D Building. Cohen also bankrolls scholarships for Pratt interior design students.

A broker from Mexico hoping to land office space for a retail client came bearing these brightly colored tequilas over the summer. Though the deal fizzled, the Reposado and Jos Cuervo stayed.

A photo of his wife, Clo Jacobs Cohen, a former fashion marketing executive, who grew up in South Africa and lived in England for years. Cohens so enamored with her accent that he asked her to record all of the companys voicemail greetings.

Cohens Macassar ebony desk embodies the style sense of Area Architects, the firm that designs most of the interiors of Cohens 12 million-square-foot portfolio. Area is now leading renovations of the lobbies at 3 Park Avenue, 623 Fifth Avenue and 475 Park Avenue South. Lobbies set the tone for the buildings, Cohen says.

A fan of old cars, Cohen has 20 in his collection, including a recently added 1930 Ford Model A. Cohen lives in Fairfield County, but keeps most of the cars in garages around the country at his various homes.

A clock showing the time in London, New York and Los Angeles. Cohen is currently putting the finishing touches on the 400,000-square-foot Red Building in L.A., the third addition to his firms Pacific Design Center, a 14-acre complex in West Hollywood where decorators can browse 2,200 brands of sinks, ovens and other interior design products. Its slated to open by next spring.

PHOTOGRAPH FOR THE REAL DEAL BY MAX DWORKIN

A 2007 award from the L.A. chapter of the American Institute of Architects for the Pacific Design Centers Red Building, designed by Csar Pelli, who also designed the campuss two other structures: the so-called Blue and Green buildings, named for their vibrant exteriors. A flag awarded to Cohen by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney in 2001 for Cohens support of the armed forces via the USO, which he raised money for.

In 2010, after the success of Frozen River, Cohen launched Cohen Media Group, a 12-employee company that has 10 films in production, including the just-released The Lady, about Myanmar opposition leader San Suu Kyi, directed by Luc Besson.

A model of a Gulfstream IV, which Cohens owned for years and which he uses to jet back and forth to the West Coast. He says hes planning to upgrade soon to a Bombardier Global Express XRS.