Joseph Soffer (1913 – June 13, 2006) was an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist.

Early life and education

Soffer was one of four children born to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family in 1913 in

Duquesne, Pennsylvania Duquesne ( ) is a city along the Monongahela River in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 5,254 at the 2020 census. History The city of Duquesne was settled in 1789 and incorp ...

, the son of Lena (née Haber) and Jacob Soffer. His parents were immigrants from Eastern Europe. His father owned a grocery store where he worked as a teenager. He had three siblings: Sylvia Chotiner, Harry Soffer, and Ruth Pressman. Soffer began his business career upon graduating from Duquesne High School after which he started to invest in real estate by purchasing single-family homes and small apartment buildings. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he served in the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

Transportation Command where he was stationed at Love Field in Texas.

Business career

After the war, he formed Soffer Realty in McKeesport, Pennsylvania with his brother Harry (the father of

Donald Soffer Donald Soffer (born September 20, 1932) is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He is a real estate developer who developed Florida swampland into what was to become the city of Aventura, Florida. Early life and education Soffe ...

). They built the Norwin Shopping Center in

Irwin, Pennsylvania Irwin is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh. Some of the most extensive bituminous coal deposits in the State are located here. In the past, iron foundries, flour mills, car shops, facing and planing mills, e ...

and operated the Baldoc Hills Golf Club also in Irwin. In 1960, he partnered with Benjamin Thorpe and built the 7-building Penn Center East in Wilkins Township,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

- one of the first suburban office parks around Pittsburgh - which was unique at that time as it contained not only office space (700,000 square feet) but also retail (300,000 square feet) and residential (448 units). The project was completed in 1964, the same year he established the Soffer Organization. In 1985, he completed a similar project named Penn Center West in Robinson Township,

. He remained as chairman of the Soffer Organization until his death, which at the time owned 2 million square feet of office, retail and residential property in the Pittsburgh area.

Philanthropy and awards

While stationed in Texas, he joined the

Masonic Order Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

(rising to the 32nd Degree) and the

Shriners Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Shriners International describes itself ...

. In 2004, Soffer received a lifetime achievement award from the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties. He also supported a number Jewish charities as well as the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and the

Pittsburgh Symphony The ''Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra'' (''PSO'') is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District. History The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is an Americ ...

. He and his wife established the Violet and Joseph Soffer Foundation and Family Special Olympics at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh.

Personal life

Soffer was married to Violet Gusky, a native of

Braddock, Pennsylvania Braddock is a borough located in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It is upstream from the mouth of the Monongahela River. The population was 1,721 as of the 2020 census. The borough is represented by the ...

whom he met while on leave from the Army. The couple lived in

Squirrel Hill Squirrel Hill is a residential neighborhood in the East End of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The city officially divides it into two neighborhoods, Squirrel Hill North and Squirrel Hill South, but it is almost universally treated ...

until his death on June 13, 2006 at

UPMC Presbyterian UPMC Presbyterian (often referred to locally as Presby) is a 900-bed non-profit research and academic hospital located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, providing tertiary care for the Western Pennsylvania region and beyo ...

in Oakland. Services were held at the Tree of Life Congregation and he was buried at the Temple B'nai Israel Cemetery in

Versailles, Pennsylvania Versailles ( ) is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. At the 2010 census, the population was 1,515. History The borough of Versailles was incorporated on June 16, 1894. It comprised the pre-existing villages of Bisse ...

. They had two sons R. Damian Soffer and James Lee Soffer. His son R. Damiam is the current CEO and president of the Soffer Organization. Soffer belonged to the older generation of Pittsburgh real estate developers - such as Edward J. Lewis, Jack Buncher, Stanley Gumberg, and Leonard Rudolph - who conducted business with a handshake.Pittsburgh Post Gazette: "Who will be next to build region? - Eddie Lewis' death creates a big void" By Dan Fitzpatrick
December 2, 2006 Soffer believed that the key to his success was taking advantage of opportunities: “Just remember one thing: You can't catch the same streetcar twice."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soffer, Joseph 1913 births 2006 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American philanthropists 21st-century American Jews American investors American people of Russian-Jewish descent American real estate businesspeople Businesspeople from Pennsylvania People from Duquesne, Pennsylvania Soffer family