Our History

W. P. Carey Founder Wm. Polk Carey was a born entrepreneur. As a child he sold soda to his neighbors and writing ink that he made in his basement. When he arrived at Princeton University to begin his freshman year, he soon discovered he owned something many of his schoolmates did not – a small dorm room refrigerator. Seeing an opportunity, he purchased as many refrigerators as he could afford and leased them to his schoolmates for a small fee. By the end of his sophomore year, he had made over $10,000. It was this simple idea that laid the groundwork for what is now known as W. P. Carey Inc.

Investing for the Long Run®

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W. P. Carey & Co. is founded by Wm. Polk Carey, pioneering the concept of pooled net leased commercial real estate assets for individual investors

W. P. Carey launches its series of investment programs (CPA®) to continue providing retail investors with income and wealth preservation through the acquisition of commercial properties and real estate-related assets.

*In 2017, W. P. Carey exited all non-traded retail fundraising activity as part of its evolution to a pure-play net lease REIT

White card with gold trim laying on a white envelope with a gray background

W. P. Carey provides first LBO sale-leaseback financing for William E. Simon's acquisition of Gibson Greetings

The interior of a W. P. Carey owned facility

Assets under management surpass $1 billion

W. P. Carey employees at the 1998 NYSE bell ringing

W. P. Carey (formerly Carey Diversified LLC) begins trading on the NYSE

W. P. Carey expands to Europe with the launch of its London office

W. P. Carey grows its European footprint, opening its Amsterdam office

Wm. Polk Carey sitting at the former W. P. Carey headquarters in Rockefeller Center, NYC

W. P. Carey converts to a REIT

W. P. Carey completes its inaugural public equity and U.S. bond offerings and receives investment grade ratings from Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s

W. P. Carey expands its access to public markets with its inaugural eurobond offering

W. P. Carey employees at the 2018 NYSE bell ringing

W. P. Carey celebrates 45 years of Investing for the Long Run®, 20 years as a publicly traded company on the NYSE and 20 years of investing in Europe

Face mask with 'COVID-19' stamped across it

W. P. Carey successfully navigates a year unlike any other amid the COVID-19 pandemic, maintaining rent collections among the best in the net lease sector as well as REITs generally

The exterior of a W. P. Carey owned facility with solar panels on the roof

W. P. Carey executes its inaugural green bond offering

W. P. Carey completes its merger with its final CPA® investment program. In addition, the company receives ratings upgrade from Moody’s, affirming it sustained positive trajectory since its initial investment grade rating from Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s in 2014

W. P. Carey celebrates its 50th anniversary of Investing for the Long Run®, 25 years as a publicly traded company (NYSE) and 25 years of investing in Europe, in addition to announcing its strategic plan to exit office

The interior of W. P. Carey owned facility

W. P. Carey completes its strategic office exit strategy and ends the year on a high with a record quarter of investment volume, bringing full-year deal volume to $1.6 billion