New details have come to light about Jeffrey Epstein’s ties with architects and architecture patrons—namely Tom Pritzker, Gensler, Richard Meier, Frank Gehry, Neri Oxman, Peter Marino, Renzo Piano, Joi Ito, Philippe Van Den Broek, and Kevin Ouvre—after the Department of Justice (DOJ) released millions of Epstein’s emails on January 30.
What follows is a listing of architects that were named in the DOJ email cache with connections to Epstein. While many well-known architects appear, there are thousands of emails related to project procurement and design for Epstein’s properties.
Pritzker Connections
Tom Pritzker is executive chair of Hyatt Hotels Corporation and president of the Pritzker Family Philanthropic Fund, the Hyatt Foundation’s charitable wing which supports the Pritzker Architecture Prize.
Epstein was invited multiple times by Pritzker Architecture Prize employees to attend Pritzker Architecture Prize ceremonies since at least 2012, according to emails reviewed by AN. On April 10, 2012, Epstein emailed Hong Kong businessman Desmond Shum, writing: “I will be in beigjing for the pritzker prize. Will you be there? [sic]”
Emails between Pritzker and Epstein reveal how Pritzker’s social life was relayed back to Epstein. On May 14, 2009, Pritzker emailed Epstein: “Standing on the bridge with Renzo Piano talking kings and cabbages.” Epstein replied the next day: “Cool.”
An email dated June 6, 2011, reveals an exchange between Epstein and Pritzker when the latter was in the Middle East. “I am in a remote valley in Afghanistan (its my birthday wish) with Boys with Toys,” Pritzker told Epstein. “Spent time with Patraeus yesterday and he loaned me a chopper (actually two with one as a back up). Can’t call till tomorrow [sic].” David Petraeus is a U.S. Army general and the former director of the CIA.
Other emails show contact between Pritzker, Epstein, and Frank Gehry. On September 20, 2012, Epstein emailed Pritzker: “frank gehry and I see eye to eye, he loves you, showed me pictures of your plane [sic]”.
Epstein was invited to the Pritzker Architecture Prize ceremony in Boston in 2013 but his assistant at the time, Jeannine Jeskewitz, denied the invitation on Epstein’s behalf. Epstein was invited again to the Pritzker Architecture Prize on April 21, 2014, but Jeskewitz declined the invitation four days later on April 25, 2014.
Eunice Kim, Pritzker Architecture Prize director of communications, invited Epstein to an award ceremony on April 21, 2017, when RCR Arquitectes won the prize. A spokesperson for Epstein declined the invitation. AN emailed Kim for comment.
Sexual allegations against Pritzker by the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre were first made public in 2019 after three years of court depositions, as reported by AN. “How many times have you had sex with Tom Pritzker?” Giuffre’s lawyer asked in a 2016 deposition. “I believe I was with Tom once,” Giuffre replied.
Giuffre said in 2016 she had sex with an “owner of a large hotel chain” in France. Giuffre also said she was “sent” by Ghislaine Maxwell to perform the sex acts. Giuffre later took her own life in 2025. Pritzker has denied Giuffre’s allegations.
Additional Connections
Richard Kahn, an associate of Epstein, coordinated architecture projects on Little St. James Island on Epstein’s behalf, emails show.
There are over 1,000 search results for “Gensler” in the DOJ’s Epstein portal. Gensler invoiced Epstein for projects with titles that include Little St James – Flagpole Pool Concept, Epstein Screening Room – CD, Little St James – Main Residence / Pool Area, and more. These fees amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars, and documents include drawings with Gensler’s Santa Monica office in the title block. Warwick Wicksman, a Global Design Realization Leader and principal for Gensler, is one of the company’s representatives who appears in the correspondence.
This work for Epstein in part took place after he was convicted of sex trafficking charges in Florida in 2008. AN has reached out to Gensler for comment.
On November 19, 2014, John Brockman, an Epstein associate, invited Epstein to an event in Palo Alto, California, with Hans Ulrich Obrist and a “hot young artist” Taryn Simon, in Brockman’s words.
Obrist had “invited Rem Koolhaas, who, unfortunately, is in Moscow December 7th, meeting with Putin,” so Koolhaas couldn’t attend. (Koolhaas later told Politico he had no regrets working for Putin.) Kahn said in an email December 17, 2014, “I have been going after Peter Marino” for a project.
In March 2017, Epstein met architect Philippe Van Den Broek and landscape architect Kevin Ouvre, according to emails, on the Caribbean island of Saint Barthélemy.
In October 2017, Wendell Burnette Architects, an Arizona firm, declined an invitation to work on “Jeffrey’s island project.” Thomas Hyland, representing the firm, stated that “unfortunately, given our current commitments, we see no way we could take on a project of this magnitude in good conscience. Thus we would not want to take up any more or your time or Jeffrey’s.” The prior month, a redacted correspondent was interested in the office’s response: “Did we hear from Wendell Brunette Architect [sic] yet?”
Seeking Legal Counsel
An email dated April 8, 2018, shows Epstein talking about legal counsel with Pritzker in regard to Richard Meier, after Meier was accused of sexual misconduct by former employees earlier that year. Epstein wrote to Pritzker: “I assume your buddy richard meier has counsel. kathy ruemmmler has done 6 of these now for me [sic].”
In the same exchange on April 8, 2018, Pritzker said to Epstein: “Flexible principles! It’s what I love about lawyers and politicians. Don’t really know Meier well enough, but I have another (noted) friend who was fired by his female client because he wouldn’t sleep with her. Can KR help with that one? [sic]”
Ruemmler, or “KR,” is today Chief Legal Officer at Goldman Sachs and an advisor to the White House. Emails declassified by the DOJ show Ruemmler thanking “Uncle Jeffrey” for gifts from the disgraced financier in exchange for her legal services.
MIT Matters
Joi Ito attended a dinner with Epstein scheduled November 30, 2014. On November 16, 2015, an assistant to Epstein, Leslie Groff, invited Neri Oxman to dinner at Epstein’s house with Woody Allen and Soon Yi. Oxman replied quickly: “It would be my pleasure” that same day.
On March 31, 2016, Groff emailed Oxman notifying her Epstein would be at the MIT Media Lab, and invited her to meet with him. Oxman was an associate professor of media arts and sciences at the MIT Media Lab until 2020.
On November 28, 2018, former MIT Media Lab director Joi Ito sent an email discussing a trip with Epstein. “Great! so all 3 will travel with Jeffrey on Sunday? I can make reservations for a car pick up for them on Sunday … I will get back to you,” Ito said.
Ito had consistent communications with Epstein, as revealed in the latest batch of Epstein’s emails. He stepped down in 2019 when it was revealed that Epstein had donated $850,000 to MIT between 2002 and 2017.
This is a developing story. AN is reviewing materials and will update this story with additional information as needed.
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