Richard Fisher, 65, Developer, Philanthropist
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Richard Fisher, a prominent New York developer who helped support military families and also served on the board of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, died Saturday after a two-year struggle with cancer, a family spokesman announced. He was 65.
Fisher was a senior partner at Fisher Brothers, the New York building and real estate developer, where for the last 20 years, he led its financial and asset management operations. Fisher Brothers was formed in the 1920s by Richard Fisher’s father, Martin, and his uncles Zachary and Larry.
The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum was founded by Zachary Fisher, who in the 1970s purchased the World War II aircraft carrier that was destined for the scrap pile and turned it one of the most visited attractions in New York.
Richard Fisher also was a founding member of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which assists the families of military personnel killed in the line of duty.
Fisher Brothers has built more than 10 million square feet of office and residential real estate in New York City and contributed largely to the shaping of midtown Manhattan. It currently owns about 5 million square feet of office space throughout the city.
Fisher also designed the family’s move into the hotel business and corporate acquisitions.
Fisher, known as a quiet master of finance and deal maker extraordinaire, is credited with diversifying the firm’s real estate business outside of New York by helping develop the 1 million square foot headquarters of the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C.
He was an alumnus of the University of Pennsylvania, where he served as a trustee for 11 years. He also was a trustee of his high school alma mater, Horace Mann in Riverdale. He was a member of the board of Lincoln Center and an adjunct professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business.
Fisher also avidly collected memorabilia related to Sir Winston Churchill and was a board member of the Churchill Society in London.
His survivors include his wife, Kristen Fisher; his children, Hadley, Winston, and Alexandra; his mother Emily Fisher Landau; and two grandchildren.
