Foreword by Larry A. Silverstein

FOREWORD

At an early point in my career—more than 50 years ago—I spent an afternoon with the late owner and developer Sylvan Lawrence, touring a number of his office buildings in Lower Manhattan. Sylvan’s company had built a solid reputation for purchasing run-down office buildings and refurbishing them to the point that they became attractive to prominent companies, and I was interested in learning from him.

After marveling at a new entrance to one of his older buildings, I asked Sylvan, “What architect did that for you?” Sylvan replied, “Milo Kleinberg.” We then went to another of his buildings that likewise boasted an exquisitely redone lobby. So I asked who did that. “Milo Kleinberg” was the response. And on and on it went.

Of course, after seeing the results and the trust that had developed between owner and architect, I decided that I had to meet this Milo Kleinberg and see what he could do for me. And so began a professional relationship, which quickly blossomed into a warm friendship that endures to this day. The first thing I noticed about Milo was how easy he is to work with. He has always been a great listener and has an intuitive sense of each client’s unique tastes and needs. He has done projects for me that required high-end finishes, and he’s done projects where the budget was more constrained. But no matter the unique circumstances or logistical challenges he faced, Milo always found a way to create lobbies, entrances, tenant spaces and marketing centers that were highly functional and every bit as compelling.

Over the years, Milo and his team have been an important part of some of our most high profile building projects, including 120 Broadway, 1177 Avenue of the Americas and both the original and rebuilt 7 World Trade Center towers. When we opened the new 7 WTC in 2006, our first tenant was the New York Academy of Sciences. MKDA collaborated on a spectacular conference and office center for the Academy on the 40th floor, and it looks as good today as it did when it opened.

Of course, my appreciation and admiration for Milo extends well beyond business. I have always been very involved with the United Jewish Appeal and Federation of Jewish Philanthropies. As Chairman of UJA, it was my responsibility to call the roll of honor—so that each member of the community could stand and make an announcement as to what he was prepared to give that year. I could always count on Milo to quickly announce a generous pledge and to honor his commitments every time. And that was just one example of the many important philanthropies that have benefited from his tremendous generosity. Milo has certainly shown, time and again, that he is a stand-up guy in the truest sense of the word.

It has also been extremely gratifying to witness the continued growth and evolution of MKDA, thanks in large part to the great work of Milo’s sons, Michael and Jeffrey. As someone who also has children in the family business, I truly admire the way that Milo mentored his sons from an early age and instilled in them the same passion for the business that he possesses in such abundance.

I have conducted thousands of building tours over the course of my long career. But I will always remember fondly that downtown stroll with Sylvan half a century ago.

Larry A. Silverstein Chairman Silverstein Properties

Corporate office, Carl Icahn, New York.