About Brown Harris Stevens · New York
Brown Harris Stevens is a New York City real estate brokerage founded in 1873, making it one of the oldest and largest privately held residential real estate firms in the United States. The 1934 Broadway location is the company's West Side office serving Manhattan's Upper West Side, handling cooperatives, condominiums, townhouses and luxury rental and sale transactions. The firm is led by CEO Bess Freedman and operates more than 39 offices across New York City, Connecticut, New Jersey, the Hudson Valley, the Hamptons, Palm Beach and Miami.
Brown Harris Stevens traces its origins to 1873, when Charles S. Brown, a descendant of Dutch New Yorkers, founded an appraisal and valuation firm in Manhattan. Through a series of mergers with prominent 19th- and early-20th-century brokers — including partnerships with Douglas Robinson (brother-in-law of President Theodore Roosevelt), William T. Wheelock, George J. Harris, and Francis K. Stevens — the company took shape as Brown, Wheelock, Harris, Stevens, Inc. Real estate magnate Harry Helmsley acquired the firm in 1965; in 1995 Helmsley sold it to Terra Holdings, a partnership of Arthur Zeckendorf, William Lie Zeckendorf, Kent Swig and David Burris. Terra Holdings later acquired Halstead Property Company (2001), and in June 2020 the two subsidiaries were restructured under a unified Brown Harris Stevens brand, creating one of the largest privately held real estate services companies in the country with more than 2,500 agents and 55 offices. The firm is headquartered in New York City and is widely regarded as a market leader in luxury residential brokerage, with records for the highest price-per-square-foot transactions ever achieved in NYC. Beyond brokerage, Brown Harris Stevens runs a substantial property management division — managing nearly 400 buildings — and offers new development sales, rental brokerage, commercial services, appraisals and relocation services. It is the only privately held firm among New York City's residential top five brokerages, debt-free, and owns a significant portion of the real estate in which its offices operate. CEO Bess Freedman, named to the role in 2018, oversees the firm and supervises the flagship 445 Park Avenue office as Broker under New York Real Property Law §440. The 1934 Broadway office serves Manhattan's Upper West Side.
- In business
- 152 years (founded 1873)
- Owner
- Charles S. Brown (founder, 1873); Bess Freedman (CEO); owned by Terra Holdings (Arthur Zeckendorf, William Lie Zeckendorf, Kent Swig, David Burris) since 1995
- Serves
- New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens), Long Island, the Hamptons, Hudson Valley, Connecticut, New Jersey, Palm Beach FL, Miami FL
About Brown Harris Stevens
Brown Harris Stevens is one of America's oldest and largest privately held residential real estate firms, headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1873 — the same year Central Park was completed and the Brooklyn Bridge was begun — BHS traces its lineage through partnerships between Charles S. Brown, Douglas Robinson, William T. Wheelock, George J. Harris, and Francis K. Stevens. The firm specializes in luxury Manhattan residential brokerage and also operates a large property management division. Bess Freedman has served as CEO since 2018 and is widely cited as the leader of the only remaining privately held firm among NYC's top five residential brokerages.
- Founded 1873 by Charles S. Brown in New York City
- More than 2,500 agents and 40+ offices (some sources cite 55 offices after 2020 merger with Halstead)
- Operates across New York City, Connecticut, New Jersey, Hudson Valley, the Hamptons, Palm Beach and Miami
- Owned by Terra Holdings (Arthur Zeckendorf, William Lie Zeckendorf, Kent Swig, David Burris) since 1995
- Merged with Halstead Property in 2020 under the unified Brown Harris Stevens brand
West Side Office at 1934 Broadway
The 1934 Broadway office is Brown Harris Stevens' Upper West Side Manhattan branch, located in the heart of one of the most prestigious residential neighborhoods in the city. The West Side office serves buyers and sellers of cooperatives, condominiums, townhouses and houses throughout the Upper West Side, with agents specializing in pre-war buildings, brownstones and luxury high-rise apartments near Central Park and Riverside Park.
- Address: 1934 Broadway, New York, NY 10023
- Phone: 212-588-5600
- Neighborhood served: Upper West Side Manhattan
- Specialties: co-ops, condos, townhouses, brownstones
Residential Brokerage Services
Brown Harris Stevens' residential brokerage is the firm's core business and is associated with some of the highest-priced transactions ever recorded in New York City. CEO Bess Freedman has stated the firm holds records for the highest price-per-square-foot transactions ever achieved in NYC. The firm served as exclusive sales agent for the cooperative apartment of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in 1995, which sold to industrialist David Koch for $9.5 million.
- Cooperative apartment sales
- Condominium sales
- Townhouse and brownstone representation
- New development sales and marketing
- Rental brokerage (including Feathered Nest, a major NYC rental firm acquired by BHS)
Property Management Division
In addition to brokerage, Brown Harris Stevens operates one of the largest residential property management businesses in New York City. CEO Bess Freedman has publicly stated BHS manages nearly 400 buildings and is the only brokerage in NYC that also manages buildings at scale. The firm assigns agents as specialists who work directly with on-site managing agents.
- Nearly 400 buildings under management
- Specialist agents embedded with managing agents
- Building maintenance and operations support
Leadership and Company History
Bess Freedman, named CEO in 2018 (and co-president with Hall Willkie from 2017), oversees all 39 offices and more than 2,300 agents. She also serves as Broker and supervises the flagship 445 Park Avenue office under Section 440 of the New York Real Property Law. Under her leadership BHS became one of the first major NYC brokerages to make Election Day a paid company holiday, declared Juneteenth a company holiday a year before federal recognition, and joined the Human Rights Campaign's Business Coalition for the Equality Act.
- CEO: Bess Freedman (since 2018)
- Hall F. Willkie — president, residential sales division (2001)
- Roger Tuckerman — former president (joined from Douglas Elliman in 1988)
- Founder: Charles S. Brown (1873)
- Harry Helmsley — owner 1965–1995
- Terra Holdings — owners since 1995
Notable Transactions and Reputation
Brown Harris Stevens is widely cited as the market leader in luxury New York City residential real estate, with the highest average sales price per agent in the United States. The firm's history includes arranging the sale of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and assembling land for Pennsylvania Station, New York Hospital, Presbyterian Hospital and the Brooks Brothers and Gimbels stores. In 1994, 17 BHS agents were indicted in a bribery and extortion scandal involving New York property managers; the company acknowledged supervisory failures and made more than $1 million in restitution payments.
- Exclusive agent for the sale of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's co-op (1995, $9.5 million)
- Waldorf-Astoria Hotel sale arranged (early 20th century)
- Pennsylvania Station land assemblage
- 1994 bribery scandal led to internal reforms
Contact and Office Locations
Brown Harris Stevens maintains more than 39 offices across the East Coast, with Manhattan sales offices on the Upper East Side, Upper West Side, downtown, and elsewhere. The flagship 445 Park Avenue office is the headquarters; the 1934 Broadway office serves the Upper West Side.
- Headquarters: 445 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022
- West Side (Upper West Side): 1934 Broadway, NY 10023 — 212-588-5600
- Additional offices in Brooklyn, the Hamptons, Hudson Valley, Connecticut, New Jersey, Palm Beach, Miami