Louis S. Kahnweiler (October 14, 1919 – February 26, 2017) was an American real estate investor who co-founded the firm Bennett & Kahnweiler.
Biography
Kahnweiler was born to a Jewish family
[Jewish United Fund of Chicago: Obituary "KAHNWEILER, LOUIS S."]
March 8, 2017 in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
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, coordinates =
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and was raised in the
Hyde Park neighborhood.
In 1937, he graduated from
Hyde Park High School and in 1941 he graduated with a BA in business from
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
.
He served in the
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
.
In 1947, he co-founded with
Marshall Bennett the real estate development company Bennett & Kahnweiler.
He is known for the development of
industrial parks
An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park, ...
, including Centex Industrial Park in
Elk Grove Village, Illinois
Elk Grove Village is a village in Cook and DuPage counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Per the 2020 census, the population was 32,812. Located northwest of Chicago along the Golden Corridor, the Village of Elk Grove Village was incorpor ...
, in 1957 located to the west of
O'Hare airport
Chicago O'Hare International Airport , sometimes referred to as, Chicago O'Hare, or simply O'Hare, is the main international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Loop busines ...
. Kahnweiler amassed a portfolio of 26 industrial parks around the country. In 1985, he added investment counseling,
property management
Property management is the operation, control, maintenance, and oversight of real estate and physical property. This can include residential, commercial, and land real estate. Management indicates the need for real estate to be cared for and monit ...
, office brokerage and development to a company better known as a broker of factories and developer of industrial parks.
Kahnweiler's firm is now known as
Colliers International
Colliers is a Canada-based diversified professional services and investment management company with approximately 18,000 employees in more than 400 offices in 63 countries.
The firm provides services to commercial real estate users, owners, inv ...
, after investments by a Toronto-based commercial real estate servicer.
Among Kahnweiler's adages was, "Don't ever become a prisoner of your financial lifestyle"
Philanthropy
Kahnweiler was a life trustee of
Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University is a private university with campuses in Chicago and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university was named in honor of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
The unive ...
.
He was president of District 108 School Board in
Highland Park, Illinois.
[Mitzvah Funderals: "Obituary for Louis Kahnweiler" retrieved May 11, 2017]
/ref> He was on the board of directors of Highland Park General Hospital
The Highland Park General Hospital is a former hospital complex located at 357 Glendale Avenue in Highland Park, Michigan. It was closed in 1976 and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1979 and listed on the National Register of Historic ...
, Exchange National Bank of Chicago and Roosevelt University.
Personal life
In 1948, he married Ruth Markus; they had three children: Nancy Kahnweiler Randall; William Kahnweiler, and Kathy Kahnweiler.
References
*
*
*
* http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1985-10-13/business/8503110117_1_industrial-parks-real-estate-estate-brokerage-firm
* https://www.bisnow.com/chicago/news/commercial-real-estate/My-Story-Marshall-Bennett
External links
David Ibata, Self-renewal: Kahnweiler`s Motto, Chicago Tribune, October 13, 1985
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kahnweiler, Louis S.
1919 births
2017 deaths
Jewish American philanthropists
American real estate businesspeople
Northwestern University alumni
Businesspeople from Chicago
Philanthropists from Illinois
20th-century American businesspeople
20th-century American philanthropists
Hyde Park Academy High School alumni
21st-century American Jews