Samuel Rudin

Samuel Rudin (1896–1975)^[1] was a New York real estate developer and founder of the Rudin Management Company and patriarch of the Rudin family.

Biography[]

Rudin was the son of Lithuanian Jewish immigrant Louis Rudinsky, who operated a dry goods store on the Lower East Side.^[2] His father made his first real estate purchase in 1905 when he bought a four-story brownstone on 153 East 54th Street.^[2] He commanded his sons to never sell the property and to try and purchase all the buildings surrounding it.^[3] Samuel Rudin followed his father's edict, and he, along with his brothers, Edward, Henry, and Nathan, purchased most of the surrounding buildings.^[4] They continued to add buildings to their portfolio, and in 1925, they founded the Rudin Management Company to handle the management and leasing side of the business.^[3] In the 1950s and 1960s, the Rudin family was one of the most prolific builders of skyscrapers in Manhattan.^[5] In 1975, his sons Jack and Lewis took over the company.^[6] In 1990, fifteen years after his death, the Rudin Management portfolio was valued at $1.5 billion.^[7]

Personal life and death[]

In 1923, he married May Cohen.^[7] They had two children, Jack and Lewis, who took over the family business.^[7] Rudin died in 1975.^[7] His will established the Samuel and May Rudin Foundation,^[7] which focuses on education, social and religious welfare agencies, hospitals, museums, and the performing arts, primarily in Manhattan, where most of the Rudin portfolio was located.^[7]

Rudin was an avid long-distance runner,^[8] and his family continues to be a major sponsor of the New York City marathon.^[9]

References[]