Sam Israel (March 4, 1899 – June 11, 1994) was an American real estate investor and landlord.

Biography

Israel was born to a Greek Jewish familySeattle Times: "Sam Israel, 95, Owner Of Many Seattle Buildings, Dies" By Cathy Reiner
June 13, 1994 in

Rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the So ...

, then part of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

, now part of

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. He immigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1919 and became a shoemaker in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, Washington. After

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 opposin ...

, during which he had a military contract to repair

combat boot Combat boots are military boots designed to be worn by soldiers during combat or combat training, as opposed to during parades and other ceremonial duties. Modern combat boots are designed to provide a combination of grip, ankle stability, and ...

s at Fort Lewis near Tacoma, he began to invest in real estate. His holdings, many of them in the Pioneer Square historic district, were largely dilapidated and undesirable to the majority of investors. Through what

Paul Dorpat Paul Dorpat (born 1938) is a historian, author, and photographer, specializing in the history of Seattle and Washington state. He had a weekly column in the '' Seattle Times'' and is the principal historian of HistoryLink.org, a site devoted to ...

in ''Pacific Northwest'' Magazine called Israel's "benign neglect," many of these buildings survived to be renovated after his death in 1994.Scott, Maude
It's A New Day For The Samis Foundation
''Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce'', February 28, 1997. Retrieved 25 December 2017. It was well known among Seattle artists that renting in an Israel building was good for art. He never raised the rent. Israel established the ''Samis Land Company'' (now simply Samis) to manage his holdings. The name is based on his first and last names. In 1979, he established the ''Samis Foundation''. Israel spent much of his later years in

Soap Lake, Washington Soap Lake is a city in Grant County, Washington, on the shores of Soap Lake. The population was 1,691 at the 2020 census. History Soap Lake was officially incorporated on June 9, 1919. This came to a halt during the Depression when drought hi ...

, which was said to remind him of the land of Israel. He never married. He died in Seattle at age 95.

Legacy

Th
Samis Foundation
is supported by Samis and has granted over $100 million toward "enhanc ngthe quality and continuity of

Jew 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""Th ...

ish life in Washington State and the State of

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

." The foundation states that over 80% of its annual grants support Jewish education in Washington. Samis currently owns over 500 parcels in Washington, including of land outside Seattle. Within Seattle, Samis owns two blocks in

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

and 11 historic buildings in Pioneer Square. The

Smith Tower Smith Tower is a skyscraper in the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States. Completed in 1914, the 38-story, tower is the oldest skyscraper in the city and was among the tallest skyscrapers outside New York City at th ...

was part of its portfolio from 1996 to 2006, and it currently owns the Collins Building, among other properties.Langston, Jennifer
Smith Tower, Seattle's first skyscraper, sold
''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'', 7 April 2006. Retrieved 25 December 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Israel, Sam 1899 births 1994 deaths American people of Greek-Jewish descent American real estate businesspeople Greek Jews Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to the United States Businesspeople from Seattle People from Soap Lake, Washington American landlords 20th-century American businesspeople