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Two Builders Named to National Housing Hall of Fame

Recognizing the lifetime achievements of two of the housing industry’s most dedicated professionals, NAHB has announced the upcoming induction of home builders Donald D. Martin, from Albuquerque, NM, and Leonard R. Sendelsky, from Colonia, NJ, into the National Housing Hall of Fame.

“Each of these men has made a vital and lasting contribution to the home building industry throughout the course of their illustrious career, and they are uniquely qualified to become the newest members of the National Housing Hall of Fame — which is the highest honor the housing industry bestows,” said NAHB President Bobby Rayburn.

Donald D. “Don” Martin is a second-generation home builder who grew up in rural Kansas and flew jets and helicopters for the U.S. Marine Corps before beginning his career in the housing industry in the mid-1960s. Throughout the next 30 years, he built more than 9,000 homes in markets across Colorado, New Mexico, Virginia, Maryland and Arizona; served as president of both the New Mexico Home Builders Association (1979) and the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Denver (1986); and was elected president of NAHB in 1998.

Martin opened his own home building company in Albuquerque in the mid-1980s and built single-family homes and developed lots for other builders in both Albuquerque and Santa Fe. A longtime advocate of affordable housing, as NAHB president he worked with Fannie Mae to help establish 40 locally based partnerships aimed at furthering this cause throughout the United States. He also led NAHB’s effort to successfully increase FHA loan limits and expand homeownership opportunities, and had a role in initiating studies at various universities — including Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies — to show the positive effects of homeownership to the community. In addition, Martin has actively promoted U.S. home building in international markets and chaired a Department of Commerce U.S.-China Residential Building Council in 2000.

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Another second-generation home builder, Leonard R. “Lenny” Sendelsky was born in Perth Amboy, NJ, and formed the Lenguy Construction Corp. in 1958. Throughout his nearly 50 years in the industry, he has overseen construction of more than 3,000 homes and apartments, in addition to many commercial and industrial buildings.

Along the way, he has achieved many leadership positions in the local building industry and earned the highest respect of his industry peers, who have honored him with a long list of awards. The Central Jersey Builders Association, on whose board Sendelsky has served for the last 46 years — including as its president in 1964 – named him “Builder of the Year” in 1966 and again in 1989, and the New Jersey Builders Association (NJBA) bestowed that title upon him in 1967 and 1989. He has also been a member of the NJBA Builders Hall of Fame since 1974.

Sendelsky was a founding director and the first president of the Home Owners Warranty Corp. of New Jersey in 1975, and he was re-elected to the presidency of that organization in 1983-85. He also helped found the Institute of Multifamily Housing of the NJBA, where he served as chairman from 1986-87.

Sendelsky has served on the boards of many New Jersey governmental agencies, including the New Jersey State Uniform Construction Code Advisory Board, the New Jersey Standards Committee for Construction of Sewerage Facilities for Realty Improvements, the New Jersey State Building Authority and the Middlesex County Planning Board.

He also has an extensive record of service to his community, including membership on the boards of the Thomas Edison Council, Perth Amboy YMCA, Middlesex County United Way and John F. Kennedy Medical Center Hospital.

A formal induction ceremony for Martin and Sendelsky will be held during NAHB’s Spring Board of Directors Meeting in Washington, D.C. this May.
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