Lectures
Abby Hamlin
Creative Collaboration—A Strategy For Impactful Change
Abby Hamlin is a New York City based real estate developer and civic thinker. In 1997, she founded Hamlin Ventures, LLC as a licensed woman-owned business, to focus on design-driven development projects that engage urban issues. Her award-winning body of work can be seen on the company’s website (www.hamlinventures.com). Recent work includes the Residences at 34 Prince and development consulting for non-profit Powerhouse Arts on a 180,000 square foot Herzog & DeMeuron designed arts fabrication center in Brooklyn.
Prior to forming Hamlin Ventures, Ms. Hamlin was president of Swig Weiler & Arnow, then a premiere commercial real estate company that developed, owned and managed major office properties, as well as the Fairmont Hotels.
Ms. Hamlin is an experienced educator and civic leader. This year, she is the Ed Bass Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Yale University School of Architecture. From 2011-2015, she taught in Columbia University’s Master of Real Estate Development program, serving for one year as its Director of Curriculum. Today she is an active member of the boards of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, the Actors Fund Housing Development Corporation, Community Solutions, and Art Omi. Previously she chaired the board of the Van Alen Institute for Public Architecture, served as a juror for the NEA’s ArtWorks program, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, the City of New Rochelle, the Enterprise Community Foundation, and twice as an expert for the Mayor’s Institute of Design.
Ms. Hamlin holds a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and a Master of Urban Planning from Princeton University.