Ingenious dealmakers crowned.

The Real Estate Board of New York announced three winners of its Sales Brokers' Most Ingenious Deal of the Year Awards for 2006.

The prestigious awards were presented at the REBNY Sales Broker Committee's annual cocktail reception at the 101 Club. Chosen from among 21 dealmakers' most creative real estate transactions in the categories of sale, lease, and finance, the three award winners were recognized for real estate deals that demonstrated the highest levels of ingenuity, creativity, and professional skill.

The first place Henry Hart Rice Award, which memorializes Rice as a past Most Ingenious Deal of the Year Award winner and five-time Robert T. Lawrence Award recipient, was presented to brokers Heller and Nottingham for dealing the multi-dimensional law school deal that included the school's sale of its development site at 240 Church, construction of a 200,000 s/f library facility, classrooms and student spaces on a parking lot, and a second phase to connect existing buildings with the new structure.

The second place Robert T. Lawrence Award was presented to broker Clinton W. Blume, Jr. of ABS Partners Real Estate, LLC for The General Society/G&B Societies Lease, 20 West 44th Street. With the sale of the G&B Building, all its not-for-profit tenants were to be evicted or leases not renewed. Blume was able to rind a single new home for all of them. The third place Edward S. Gordon Award was presented to brokers Andrew J. Singer and Kathleen McSharry, of The Singer & Bassuk Organization, for 20 Exchange Place Development Financing.

The brokers negotiated with 20 different parties to secure financing for the conversion of a 57-story, 800,000 s/f office building into a mixed use office, retail and residential complex.

Judges were: Sheri Chromos, Katten Muchin Roseman LLP; Peter Hauspurg, Eastern Consolidated Companies, Inc.; Christopher LaBianca, Banc of America Securities Real Estate Capital Markets; David Lebenstein, Colliers ABR, Inc.; and Adam I. Popper, Becon Capital Partners, LLC.