Mohamed Hadid
| Mohamed Hadid | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Mohamed Anwar Hadid November 6, 1948 Nazareth (now Israel) |
| Residence | Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California, US |
| Citizenship |
Jordan[1] United States[1] |
| Alma mater |
North Carolina State University Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Occupation | Real estate developer |
| Years active | Late 1970s–present |
| Known for | Developing mansions in Bel Air and Beverly Hills |
| Religion | Islam |
| Spouse(s) |
Mary Butler (divorced) Yolanda Hadid (divorced) |
| Partner(s) | Shiva Safai |
| Children | 5; including Gigi and Bella |
| Parent(s) |
Anwar Hadid Khairiah Hadid |
| Website | http://www.mohamedhadid.com/ |
Mohamed Anwar Hadid (Arabic: محمد حديد) (born 6 November[2] 1948)[3] is a Jordanian-American real estate developer known for building luxury hotels and mansions, primarily in the Bel Air neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills in Los Angeles County, California.
Early life
Mohamed Anwar Hadid was born in Nazareth[1] in 1948, the son of Anwar Hadid (1908/09–1979) and his wife Khairiah.[4]
His father, Anwar Hadid studied at a Jerusalem teachers' college and attended a university in Syria to study law, before working in land settlement for the British authorities and teaching English at a teachers' college in Mandatory Palestine. In 1948, he moved to Syria and joined the United States Information Agency and the Voice of America. He and his family lived in Damascus, Tunisia, and Greece before moving to Washington D.C., as Anwar had a job at the VOA headquarters there, when Mohamed was 14, and spent the rest of his career there with VOA and USIA as a writer, editor and translator.[4][5][6]
Hadid has two brothers, Mahmud and Majid, and five sisters, Raida Al-Hassan, Maha Matar, Ghada Harnden, Sana Hadid, and Majida Hyatt.[4]
Hadid attended North Carolina State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[1]
Career
He started his career restoring and reselling classic cars in Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., before moving to Greece where he opened a nightclub on an island, and with the profits, started developing real estate back in the US.[7]
In the 1980s, he bought the Ritz-Carlton hotels in New York and Washington for US$150 million.[5] He out-maneuvered Donald Trump and was able to acquire the Aspen, Colorado Ritz property. Trump's reaction was indignant, and claimed that Hadid (who he said was a 'very nice man') pays too much for property.[6]
He developed Le Belvedere, a mansion in Bel Air, Los Angeles,[8] that sold for $50 million in 2010. In 2012. He developed The Crescent Palace, a 48,000-square-foot home on an acre plot next door to the Beverly Hills Hotel, which he listed for sale at $58 million.[9]
Shortly after Hadid received approval for the construction of his megamansion in Bel Air, the Bel-Air Homeowners Alliance, chaired by Fred Rosen, was formed to oppose it.[8] In January 2015, Nancy Walton Laurie, an heiress to the Walmart fortune and Bel Air resident, filed a lawsuit through her company, LW Partnership, against Hadid.[10] Laurie accused Hadid of damaging the roots of a eucalyptus tree on her property with a retaining wall he built next to her house.[10]
In December 2015, the Los Angeles city council voted to pursue criminal charges over a claim that he violated local zoning laws. Allegedly he built his house contrary to multiple planning orders and made it twice the permitted size. These charges include a possible jail sentence.[11] The house is located at 901 Strada Vecchia in Bel Air.[12]
Hadid has appeared in the TV show, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, as the friend of Lisa Vanderpump.[9] He has also appeared on Shahs of Sunset.[8]
Personal life
His first wife was Mary Butler, with whom he had two daughters, Alana Hadid and Marielle Hadid. They split up in 1992.[13][14]
Hadid competed in speed skiing the 1992 Winter Olympics, representing Jordan.[1] He is a dual Jordanian-American citizen.[1]
He is divorced from his second wife, Yolanda Foster, with whom he has three children, all models: Gigi Hadid (born April 23, 1995), Bella Hadid (born October 9, 1996),[14] and Anwar Hadid.[15]
Hadid is a "devout Muslim" and has never drunk alcohol, yet has a 5,000-bottle wine cellar, including some from his own Beverly Hills winery.[7]
As of 2014, Hadid is engaged to Shiva Safai, a model and businesswoman. She was born in Iran and raised in Norway, and at age 19, moved to Los Angeles with her family.[16]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Janofsky, Michael (December 20, 1991). "Olympics; Construction Was Slow, So . . .". The New York Times. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
While it would have been ideal to ski for the United States, his adoptive country, he knew that making its Olympic team would be virtually impossible. Instead, taking advantage of his dual citizenship, he petitioned the Jordan Olympic Committee, and Jordanian officials approved.
- ↑ "Happy birthday Mohamed Hadid....". Yolanda H. Foster verified Facebook page. 6 November 2013. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
- ↑ Jaffe, Harry (1 March 1988). "Unmasking the Mysterious Mohamed Hadid". Regardie's. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015. Note: Source gives birthplace as "Nazareth, Palestine".
- 1 2 3 "Col. Homan, Veteran of 3 Wars, Dies". The Washington Post. 14 May 1989. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- 1 2 Tully, Shawn (31 July 1989). "The Big Moneymen of Palestine, Inc.". Fortune. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- 1 2 Warren Walsh, Sharon; Hilzenrath, David S. (24 April 1989). "Who is Mohamed Hadid?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- 1 2 Farameh, Patrice (1 July 2008). "Hadid’s Modern Masterpiece: Mohamed Hadid". Haute Living. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
Even though he has never indulged in alcohol in his life, his 5,000-bottle wine cellar is filled with the best French and Californian wines. Not only does his collection consist of a diverse range of premium wines from local vineyards such as Summerland Winery, but it also includes bottles from his very own winery in Beverly Hills.
- 1 2 3 Halderman, Peter (December 5, 2014). "In Los Angeles, a Nimby Battle Pits Millionaires vs. Billionaires". The New York Times. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
- 1 2 Brennan, Morgan (28 June 2012). "Celebrity Developer Mohamed Hadid Asking $58 Million For Crescent Palace". Forbes. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- 1 2 Lopez, Matt (23 January 2015). "Wal-Mart Heiress Seeks Damages From Bel Air's 901 Strada Vecchia" (PDF). The Beverly Hills Courier (California). pp. 1, 11. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016.
- ↑ Tait, Robert (19 December 2015). "Bad airs in Bel-Air over house dubbed 'the starship enterprise'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- ↑ Lopez, Matt (1 December 2014). "Did 901 Strada Vecchia In Bel-Air Violate Stop Work Order With Weekend Construction Work?". The Beverly Hills Courier (California). Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- ↑ Romano, Lois (21 May 1992). "The reliable source". The Washington Post. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
- 1 2 Watson, Sheridan (14 October 2014). "The Foster-Hadids Are The Best Family On Earth". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
- ↑ Frank, Julia (25 September 2015). "Gigi and Bella Hadid’s younger brother Anwar is a model too". Vogue. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ↑ "Interview and Photoshoot with Shiva Safai". NaludaMagazine.com. 1 January 2015. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2015.