ADAM ENGELSKIRCHEN
Founder and Principal
Adam G. Engelskirchen is a real estate attorney with expertise in the leasing, development, acquisition, disposition and financing of real estate assets. He has particular expertise in ground leases, historic buildings and the disposition of public agency real estate assets.
Mr. Engelskirchen was formerly Director of Real Estate for The Presidio Trust, where he led the Trust’s efforts to generate revenue from the Presidio’s six million square feet of buildings. He and his team handled the redevelopment, historic rehabilitation, leasing and management of the Presidio’s commercial and residential portfolio, which includes more than 1,100 residential units, as well as office buildings, warehouses and other structures ranging from barracks to churches. Today, the Presidio Trust is financially self-sufficient and receives no federal appropriations.
Mr. Engelskirchen has extensive experience with public-private partnerships. He was one of the negotiators of a long-term ground lease and development agreement with Lucasfilm to build a digital entertainment complex in the Presidio, a project that was named “Deal of the Year” by the San Francisco Business Times.
Recent projects include a historic tax credit project with Forest City Development to ground lease and convert a 300,000 square foot historic hospital to multifamily residential use; the rehabilitation of historic hangar buildings for recreational tenants, including a rock climbing gym and a children’s swimming school; and the rehabilitation of historic nurse’s quarters and cavalry barracks buildings for office use. Many of these projects received LEED ratings.
During his tenure, the Presidio Trust entered into more than 300 leases, licenses and development agreements, valued at more than $1.3 billion. He has negotiated numerous ground and space leases and development agreements for office, retail, multifamily, cultural, educational, and self-storage projects, with many transactions involving the use of historic tax credits.
Prior to joining the Presidio Trust, Mr. Engelskirchen practiced as a real estate attorney with the law firm of Sidley & Austin. He holds a B.A. from Claremont McKenna College and a J.D. from the University of Southern California Law Center, where he was Senior Editor of the Interdisciplinary Law Journal. He is licensed in California as an attorney and real estate broker. His current and past affiliations include the Urban Land Institute (member, San Francisco District Council; co-chair, Policy & Practice Committee), Lambda Alpha International, the National Council for Public Private Partnerships (member, Real Estate Institute), and the National Historic Landmark Stewards Association (board member).
A long-time open water swimmer, he completed a solo crossing of the English Channel in August, 2012.