George Konheim (1917–2001) was an American real estate developer and philanthropist.

Early life

George Konheim was born to a Jewish family in Akron, Ohio in 1917.Dennis McLellan
George Konheim, 84; Leading Developer, Philanthropist
'' The Los Angeles Times'', December 09, 2001 He had a brother and two sisters. At the age of eight, he began selling newspapers in the morning and bagels in the evening. He dropped out of high school and worked as a vegetable pushcart.Eulogies: George Konheim
'' The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles'', December 13, 2001 However, he studied engineering at night school and eventually worked for

Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military aviat ...

during the Second World War.

Career

In Ohio, Konheim ran a gas station chain called George's Super Service Gas Stations and an auto-painting franchise called Deb. In 1947, Konheim founded Buckeye Construction Co., a real estate development company headquartered in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. B ...

. Initially, they built private residences in

Beverlywood Beverlywood is a neighborhood in the Westside of the city of Los Angeles, California. History Beverlywood was developed in 1940 by Walter H. Leimert, who also developed Leimert Park. The neighborhood consists of 1,354 single family homes, and wa ...

and Cheviot Hills, two neighborhoods of Los Angeles around the Hillcrest Country Club. Three years later, in 1950, he partnered with

Bram Goldsmith Bram Goldsmith (February 22, 1923 – February 28, 2016) was an American real estate developer, banker and philanthropist. He served as the chief executive officer of City National Bank from 1975 to 1995, and as its chairman from 1975 to 2013. He ...

and focused on commercial buildings. Some of their best-known buildings are the City National Bank building in

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is ...

, the Bank of America Building in Beverly Hills and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences headquarters on Wilshire Boulevard.

Philanthropy

Konheim donated to the Boy Scouts of America, the Child Welfare League of America, the City of Hope National Medical Center, the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). He was a co-founder of the

Los Angeles Music Center The Music Center (officially named the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County) is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. Located in downtown Los Angeles, The Music Center is composed of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion ...

. Konheim established the Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services in Cheviott Hills, a recovery center for abused children and adolescents. He also created the Neil Konheim Know Your Body Program, taught in school districts throughout California. Konheim helped found the Temple Beth Am on La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles. He also encouraged Hank Greenberg and Sandy Koufax to publicly support the

Maccabiah Games The Maccabiah Games (a.k.a. the World Maccabiah Games; he, משחקי המכביה, or משחקי המכביה העולמית; sometimes referred to as the "Jewish Olympics"), first held in 1932, are an international Jewish and Israeli multi-sp ...

, and he funded the all Southern California athletes for Games in 1961 and 1965.Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame: George Konheim
/ref> He was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Family and death

Konheim was married to Eva Konheim. They resided in Beverly Hills, California. Their son Neil died in a jetliner crash in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

in 1982. They had two additional sons, Bruce and Lyn, and a daughter, Terri Cooper. Konheim died in 2001. Services were held at Temple Beth Am in Los Angeles.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Konheim, George 1917 births 2001 deaths Businesspeople from Akron, Ohio People from Beverly Hills, California Businesspeople from Los Angeles American company founders Construction and civil engineering company founders American construction businesspeople Philanthropists from California 20th-century American philanthropists American real estate businesspeople 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American Jews