The F. D. Rich Company was founded in 1920 by Frank D. Rich Sr. Working with his brothers through the early 1960’s, the company constructed numerous projects that had a common thread……attractive buildings that offered a meaningful service to the communities in which they were built.
In the late 1940’s, the founder’s two sons, Frank D. Rich Jr., and Robert N. Rich, joined the company and together with long time Chief Legal Counsel and Partner, Lawrence Gochberg, they then grew the Company into an internationally active construction company. Its work included military installations, office buildings, hotels and over 15,000 residential units across 24 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. In 1968, the Company was ranked the largest stateside construction contractor for the Department of Defense.
One of the most significant events in the Company’s long and venerable history occurred in 1960 with its selection as the redeveloper of downtown Stamford’s massive urban renewal project. In order to create the dazzling new Stamford skyline the Company tapped internationally renowned architects such as Victor Bisharat, Cesar Pelli, Arthur Erickson, Romaldo Giurgola, Hugh Stubbins and Moshe Safdie to name a few.
In 1971, the Company launched a publicly held subsidiary, F. D. Rich Housing Corporation, whose mission was to create prefabricated multi-family housing by incorporating the HABS System, invented by Frank D. Rich Jr., and patented in 20 countries.
During the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, the Company added the Stamford Marriott Hotel and the Stamford Town Center Regional Mall, the first of its kind in Fairfield and Westchester Counties.
In the early 1980’s, F. D. “Rick” Rich III, Susan M. Rich and Thomas L. Rich joined the Company and were involved in many substantial development projects including Coldspring New Town in Baltimore, Maryland, as well as the Burnt Store Marina Resort and Condominium, which included the largest marina on the west coast of Florida.
Between 1984 and 1991 through their Boston subsidiary, they were involved in significant development projects which included the one million square foot Commonwealth Center, later developed by Millennium Partners as the Ritz Carlton Hotel and Condominium Towers along with an expansive Reebok Fitness Center.
Ultimately, the renewal effort launched by F. D. Rich and the City of Stamford led to the construction of more than 20 buildings comprising seven million square feet of offices, hotels, apartments and retail stores. The downtown area has been completely reinvigorated and has emerged as the State of Connecticut’s epicenter of commerce, culture, education and urban living.
Since 1996, under the leadership of Thomas L. Rich, the F. D. Rich Company has continued to thrive, expanding its presence throughout Fairfield County. A vertically integrated owner-operator and full-service real estate development company, F. D. Rich oversees the full lifecycle of its projects—from land acquisition and development to property management—allowing for consistent quality, long-term stewardship, and operational excellence across its portfolio.
Major projects completed during this period include the six-screen Bow Tie Majestic Cinema; the Target Superstore; the 115-room Courtyard by Marriott; the 170-unit Park Tower Stamford condominium (formerly Trump Parc Stamford), which at 35 stories remains the city’s tallest building; the 22-story, 228-unit Summer House Stamford; the 82-unit Bedford Hall apartments; the 66-unit SONO Pearl apartments; the 102-room Residence Inn by Marriott Norwalk; and the 129-unit Harbourside SoNo rental community.
The Company also assembled the land and secured approvals for the two-tower, 40-story Ritz-Carlton Stamford development, divesting its ownership interests in 2008. That project was later developed as the Atlantic Station Apartments. Rich additionally conceptualized the 160-room Residence Inn by Marriott Stamford—developed by others—shortly after the Company sold the Courtyard Marriott. F. D. Rich Company then assembled the land, development team, and approvals for the 641-unit URBY Stamford, transforming a 4-acre site long known as Stamford’s notorious “hole in the ground,” dormant for 35 years.
In 2022, the Company acquired the long-vacant corner of Broad and Gay Streets in downtown Stamford, where the 198-unit, 13-story residential tower known as The Coastline is now under construction. In 2024, the Company purchased the historic 300 Main Street building—originally home to the Stamford Trust Company and later Union Trust—and through a significant historic preservation and adaptive reuse initiative, is developing The Teller, a 149-room Curio Collection by Hilton hotel, also located in downtown Stamford.
The Company also owns a fully approved 100-room hotel site in South Norwalk, which will become the second hotel the Company develops in SoNo, following its successful development of the Residence Inn by Marriott South Norwalk.
Through F. D. Rich Management Company, its in-house property management division, the Company has successfully managed the luxury multifamily assets it has developed and continues to manage properties throughout its current portfolio, reinforcing its integrated approach to ownership, development, and operations.
Beyond shaping the Stamford skyline, the Rich family has played an equally influential role in the city’s cultural evolution. Through the vision and commitment of Frank D. Rich Jr., the Stamford Center for the Arts and the Rich Forum were brought to life. His leadership also helped establish the University of Connecticut’s downtown Stamford campus, where the main atrium and assembly hall is named the Rich Concourse.
Through the Rich Foundation, the family continues to support the arts, education, and healthcare. Major beneficiaries have included Mill River Park—home to the Rich Pantry—and the Boys & Girls Club, where the Mary C. Rich Clubhouse provides programs in sports, health and wellness, STEM, and after-school enrichment for students in Grades 4–12.
After more than a century of commitment—and over 50 years dedicated to the revitalization of downtown Stamford—the F. D. Rich Company remains one of Connecticut’s most influential and enduring real estate developers.
F. D. Rich Company….a rich history of city building.