For Raquel Vendome, it was anything but easy to step up to the plate once she decided to join and actively contribute toward the growth of the real estate empire her father, Antonio Vendome aka 'Nino', had built in the New York City.
In fact, early in her career, Raquel Vendome had shown little interest in joining the real estate industry. Raquel Vendome attended the Locust Valley High School as a child and later majored in Early Childhood Education from Lynn University, Boca Raton. As she had always nurtured a passion for working with little children, many including her father believed that she would pursue a career in childhood education.
However, somewhere along the way, Raquel eventually got infected by her father's indefatigable passion and enthusiasm for architecture and real estate development. According to her, she was particularly impressed by her father's talent to recognize artistic merit in architecture and his effort to engineer a seamless blend of the artistic and the functional in the projects he took up.
A New Challenge
However, once Raquel Vendome made up her mind to pursue a career in real estate and carry on the legacy her father had built, it was a new and tough challenge for Raquel. From establishing meaningful and long term business partnerships to planning property acquisitions and all other details related to the business, she had to learn everything from scratch. And Raquel had to prove that she has what it takes to shoulder the responsibilities that such a vast empire entails. And time has proved that Raquel Vendome NYC indeed was equal to the task confronting her.
The 'Habitable Structure' Concept
The now well-known concept of the Habitable Structure evolved out of a collaboration of Antonio Vendome with the famous architect Philip Johnson. The two worked together on the project Urban Glass House, the formidable 26-story condominium building in downtown Manhattan.
It was one of Johnson's last projects before he passed away in 2005. In honor of his memory, Antonio came up with the concept of Habitable Structure which itself was partly inspired by Johnson's historic creation Glass House in New Cannan, Connecticut. The famous building, along with its adjacent structures, enjoy great acclaim in the field of architecture for its simplicity, perfect proportions, and artistic value.
Raquel Vendome NYC and Habitable Structure
Since Raquel Vendome joined forces with her father and got to understand firsthand the ins and outs of the business, and the real estate industry, in particular, the duo has carved up an extensive plan to construct a number of structures following the Habitable Structure principle. Their company, Vendome Property Management, believes that this plan, if and when actualized, would alter the whole landscape of today's downtown Manhattan.
The father-daughter duo is highly passionate about the project and has put their heads together to put up a team of highly qualified and talented architects who would be able to bring the plan to fruition. Besides, the company already has plans to erect another five buildings in the U.S. that are similar in style and structure to the 'Urban Glass House.' Los Angeles, New York, and Washington have been chosen as three of these five locations while the other two locations are yet to be finalized. In addition, Nino and Raquel have plans to build Glass House-like buildings in several other countries as well.
Contribution to the Community
As responsible business persons, both Raquel Vendome NYC and her father believe in giving back to the community. The very projects conceived around the Habitable Structure concept reflects this philosophy. However, the famous Big Apple real estate duo is also actively involved with several philanthropic affairs. Their philanthropic spirit was amply exhibited, for instance, in the aftermath of 9/11 when the company-owned 'Nino's American Restaurant' at Canal Street was opened to the public and volunteers working to help people cope with the tragic aftermath of the incident.
