Lucille 'Lovey' Handelsman, whom divorce made Worth Avenue's single largest land owner, dies at 93

PALM BEACH — Lucille Handelsman, who helped her husband build an estimated $550 million real estate empire that includes much of the land along tony Worth Avenue, died in her sleep last week in her small apartment that overlooked the street lined with designer shops. She was 93.

Roughly a month before her death, she inked a deal that ended an epic legal battle that she began in 2016 when she filed for divorce from Burt, her husband of 67 years.

A stunning decision for a wealthy woman even half her age, Handelsman said she wanted to end the marriage because she could no longer tolerate her husband's abuse and because she believed he was cheating on her.

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Mostly, however, she said she wanted to make sure the couple’s real estate empire would benefit her children and grandchildren and not her husband’s longtime lawyer, whom she believed was the object of his affections.

Settlement made Lovey Handelsman 'mayor' of Worth Avenue

Last month’s settlement cemented Handelsman’s title as the unofficial mayor of Worth Avenue, said Jeffrey Fisher, who represented the couple’s 60-something children in the real estate fight.

It was a title her ex-husband relished before a Palm Beach County judge in 2019 stripped him of most of his holdings along the avenue at the conclusion of one of the most complex divorces in county history.

Beginning in the 1950s at their kitchen table in Brooklyn, New York, the couple amassed a fortune in real estate stretching from Key West to upstate New York.

In addition to holdings in Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Delray Beach and Lantana, it included the land beneath the Hog's Breath Saloon in Key West and property along Sheepshead Bay in New York, where bars, restaurants and shops are magnets for tourists. In between, there were warehouses, shopping centers and a golf course.

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Unlike her husband, who was known to drive a hard bargain, Handelsman was beloved, said attorney Joel Weissman, who represented her in the divorce.

She was known as Lovey for good reason, he said. “She was lovely and everyone who came in contact with her was a better person because of it,” Weissman said.

“She was a remarkable person,” Fisher agreed. “She was also incredibly witty. She always had a joke.”

Circuit Judge Scott Suskauer began what turned into a seven-month trial to divide the couple’s vast holdings by granting Handelsman the divorce she sought. Running through a list of boilerplate questions, he asked Handelsman, then 89, if she was pregnant.

“I'll be in the Guinness Book of World Records if I am," she said with a laugh.

A real estate empire born of carbon paper and a Brownie camera

While her husband sought to portray her as a silent partner in the wildly successful business, Handelsman was an integral part of it, Weissman said.

Using carbon paper, she would type up a description of land or buildings they tagged as investment opportunities. He would use his Brownie camera to take pictures of the property, paste the photos on her typewritten papers and use them as ads to attract prospective investors.

Lucille Handelsman vetted those interested in joining their fledgling business, Weissman said. Further, once buildings were purchased, she mimeographed notices that rental units were available and posted them on telephone poles throughout Brooklyn, he said.

“She was conscientious and careful and deliberate as to how she participated in the empire from the beginning to the end,” Weissman said.

Burt Handelsman was crushed by Suskauer’s 2019 order that split up the couple’s holdings.

While Suskauer had repeatedly blasted him for trying to hide assets from Lucille and then lying about it in court, he ultimately divided the property equally. His main goal, he said, was to assure Burt Handelsman would no longer be in business with his children, who Burt famously described as his “enemies.”

Burt appealed the decision. A hearing was held before the 4th District Court of Appeal in September. On Oct. 6, an agreement was reached, formally ending the legal battle, Fisher said.

The children wanted their parents to live out the remainder of their lives without having ongoing litigation hanging over them, he said.

Handelsman is to be buried Tuesday in White Plains, New York, the longtime family home. A public celebration of her life will be held on Worth Avenue, but no date has been set, Fisher said.

jmusgrave@pbpost.com

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Lucille 'Lovey' Handelsman dies; owned much of Worth Avenue Palm Beach