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OUR STORY

We are driven by the power of buildings to create change - economic, social, historic.

The Lela Goren Group was founded to build buildings with the potential to create social change. We build physical spaces with a unique ability to bring people together; to create experiences that shift mindsets and expand possibilities; that sprout economic opportunities for business, neighborhoods, communities, that build on foundations of the past, transformed to enrich the future.

That kind of building needs
someone who can build.

As a real-estate developer and investor for 20 years, Lela Goren has worked on millions of square feet of real estate and mixed-use developments in New York, including residential, hospitality, office and retail in all phases of assembly, acquisition, finance, design, construction, sales and marketing.

That kind of building needs an activist.

As an intellectual property lawyer with a masters' degree in international law, Lela saw change happen - or not - through the global systems of the UN, first in Geneva and then in New York City. She already knew how change happens at the grassroots: passionate, dedicated people roll up their sleeves and get to work. That's how it happened when she was a college activist. And that's how it continues to happen. Her civil engagement work has earned her numerous awards including the 2013 Civic Spirit Award by the Women’s City Club of New York. In 2016 she was named the Women Builders Council Developer of the Year and in 2017, she was recognized for her social activism and awarded the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect Award.

That kind of building needs
deep roots in the community.

Lela was most recently a Vice Chair at WeWork, a start-up that creates co-working communities for businesses, not-for-profits and entrepreneurs both in the U.S. and internationally. She oversaw government relations, corporate strategy and RFPs at WeWork, one of the fastest growing companies in the history of New York. During her previous 10-year association with Extell Development Company, Lela's projects involved close collaborations with the City of New York, as well as the New York State and Federal governments, on issues including zoning, land use, and historic landmarks.

That kind of building needs
an untiring optimist.

When she was four, Lela rode on her grandfather's construction truck in Israel, and saw Jews and Arabs working and building together. When she was 30, she walked the halls of the UN General Assembly and saw a building that made space for the whole world. Today, she sees what unites the broad spectrum of people it takes to put up a building, and the future they can build together.

That kind of building needs a catalyst.
We are catalysts and builders in equal measure.

OUR PROJECTS
The Plant
The Plant
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Alder Manor
The Manor
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The Women's Building

The Women's Building

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Girls That Build
Girls That Build
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Presidio
Presidio: Fort Scott
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West Village Building
West Village Building
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