Norman Kranzdorf

Norman M. Kranzdorf died on September 10th, 2025, just 2 weeks shy of his 95th birthday. He had a long and distinguished career in the real estate business. He was President and CEO of Kranzco Realty Trust, one of the country’s first shopping center REITs that went public in 1992 and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. His IPO was in the leading edge of a wave of equity REITs that dramatically changed the dynamics of the Commercial Real Estate Business. One of the founding members of the International Council of Shopping Centers, he was elected twice to the board of trustees serving four terms. He chaired the ICSC Bankruptcy Task Force and was the author of many real estate related works including the book “Retail Tenant Bankruptcy” published by the ICSC in 1977. He was also a founding member of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School Real Estate Center and had served on its advisory board.

A high school college athlete, he a[ended Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania on a partial football scholarship. He then a[ended the University of Pennsylvania, earning a law degree from the school in 1955. The following year he became in-house counsel for Food Fair Stores, inc. In the late 1950’s Food Fair launched a shopping center development firm, Food Fair Properties, Inc., later renamed Amterre Development. The parent company filed for bankruptcy in 1978, leaving Norman to oversee its liquidation. In 1979 Kranzdorf set up his own company, Kranzco Realty, Inc., initially managing shopping centers for financial institutions.  He began buying properties, eventually owning 100 strip and power centers along the Eastern Seaboard. In 2000, Kranzco merged with CV Reit, forming Kramont Realty Trust. In 2005 the company was acquired by Centro Watt. Norman then joined Urdang Capital Management as a “senior statesman” mentoring dozens of younger associates under his retirement at the age of 83. He and his son Michael formed a newshopping center company, Amterre Property Group LLC specializing in shopping centers in Colorado.

Married for 70 years to the former Hermina Goodman, he is the father of Betty and Michael Kranzdorf, and two grandchildren, James Norman and Nina. He was much loved in the industry and will be greatly missed.

Funeral services are private. Shiva will be on Friday, from 2PM until 5PM, at the Fairmont Apartments in Bala Cynwyd. In lieu of flowers, donations in Norman’s memory may be made to The Carey Penn law school at the University of Pennsylvania, Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, or a charity of the donors’ choice.