Tony Goldman
Tony Goldman grew up in New York City and studied drama at Boston’s Emerson College where he met the love of his life, Janet Ehrlich. Their loving marriage produced two children, Jessica Goldman Srebnick and Joey Goldman, and five grandchildren (Jake, James, AJ, Mack, and Rose). Tony Goldman worked with Jessica and Joey in the company he founded, Goldman Properties. More than a real estate developer, Goldman was a “historic preservationist romantic developer,” more interested in re-inventing neighborhoods into enclaves of creativity, inclusivity and diverse pedestrian activity - turning these urban spaces into global destinations. For Tony, it started in 1968 on the Upper West Side of NYC, converting brownstones into lofts. He helped convert old industrial buildings into artist lofts, art galleries, and super clubs, all while preserving the cast-iron architecture that differentiated SoHo. A tireless advocate for the arts, he loved to see things no one else saw. In 1985, to our great fortune, Goldman drove east on 5th Street on Miami Beach and made a left turn on Ocean Drive. He instantly fell in love. The collection of Art Deco architecture and the spectacular expanse of beach would drive him to spend decades of his life working with many others, including Barbara Baer Capitman, Lenore Horwitz, Marlo Courtney, Craig Robins, Mark Soyka, and Bill Talbert, to preserve the historic character of South Beach. Passionately devoted to the City of Miami Beach, he risked everything and leapt into restoring Art Deco–style buildings along Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue. A visible and vocal ambassador for tourism, he served as Chairman of the Ocean Drive Association for 10 years, and as the Chairman of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. His legacy in SoHo and South Beach earned him the highest award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation—the Louise du Pont Crowninshield Lifetime Achievement Award (2011). In 2012, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, shortly before his death. Tony Goldman left his mark on other neighborhoods as well, including Center City Philadelphia and Wynwood in Miami, where he turned an old industrial garment district into one of the most recognized creative neighborhoods in the world. At the core of Wynwood, he would create its heartbeat: the Wynwood Walls, the largest and most prestigious outdoor street art museum in the world. His idea sparked a global art movement, inspired millions of visitors of every age to embrace their creative spirit and improved the quality of life in the places where he worked. His legacy lives on.