Faith Hope Consolo, Douglas Elliman Chairman of Retail, Dies at 73

NEW YORK CITY—Faith Hope Consolo died in her home on the Upper East Side of Manhattan on Sunday, December 23.  She was 73 years old. The cause of death was hypertensive cardiovascular disease. Consolo, who began at Douglas Elliman in 2005, rose to become the chairman of the retail sales and leasing division.

Commenting on her noteworthy career achievements, Steven James, president and CEO of Douglas Elliman, New York City tells GlobeSt.com, “It must have been very satisfying for her because commercial real estate for many, many years was mostly a man’s business, whereas residential was mostly a woman’s business. She chose that route and excelled and held her own with the boys.”

“I would think over the years she had enormous satisfaction with that,” he says, adding that she was probably the most recognizable name in commercial real estate retail in the city.

Her client roster included top designer brands such as Cartier, Fendi, Salvatore Ferragamo, Giorgio Armani, Versace and Yves Saint Laurent.

On Monday morning, James distributed an email to Douglas Elliman’s New York office which read:

“It is with enormous sadness that I announce that Faith died suddenly on Sunday morning.  Faith was a legend in New York commercial real estate especially the NYC retail stores and businesses. Many of her clients were long term ones. They believed in her to get the job done! And she did! She was a high voltage character but deep down there was a heart that just wanted to be loved. We will all miss Faith.”

James tells GlobeSt.com that Consolo was held in high regard and with tremendous affection. “There has been an enormous outpouring of shock and affection for Faith that says it all,” he says.

One of her hallmark characteristics was expressing a belief in retail despite the ample news stories about its troubles. “She understood the reality that the internet was out there but she thought the internet and the retail space each had a part to play and they both are going to continue,” he says. “That I thought was showing real resilience.”

She often tied that optimism to a pun on her name, including embossing “You need Faith” on pink pens she distributed for marketing. 

James recalled her telling him a few months ago, “Listen, deals are being made out there. I’m making deals. There’s still going to be commercial space.” He describes her faith in the real estate market as a remarkable thing, and her passing away “a real loss to the commercial retail business.”

James, who has worked with Consolo for approximately 14 years, says, “She was quite a character and larger than life.”