Lawrence Arthur Wien (May 30, 1905 – December 10, 1988) was an American lawyer, philanthropist, and

real estate investor Real estate investing involves the purchase, management and sale or rental of real estate for profit. Someone who actively or passively invests in real estate is called a real estate entrepreneur or a real estate investor. Some investors actively ...

.''New York Times'': "Lawrence A. Wien, 83, Is Dead; Lawyer Gave Millions to Charity " by ALFONSO A. NARVAEZ
December 12, 1988

Biography

Wien was 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 New York City. He had four siblings: Mortimer E. Wien, Sidney A. Wien, Leonard Wien, and Ms. Bernard T. Hein. In 1925, Wien graduated with a B.A. from Columbia College and in 1927, he graduated with a J.D. from

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

. In 1928, he co-founded the law firm, Wien Malkin & Bettex which became a leading national law firm specializing in real estate law. In 1931, he ventured into real estate and, along with three partners who invested $2,000 apiece, bought a small apartment house in Harlem. In the 1930s, using his legal background, Wien pioneered the concept of real estate syndicates, making direct ownership of income property accessible to groups of individual investors for the first time.Real Estate Weekly: "Great Real Estate Families"
August 20, 2005 In 1958, his son-in-law

Peter L. Malkin Peter L. Malkin (born January 14, 1934) is an American real estate investor and chairman emeritus of Empire State Realty Trust and Malkin Holdings. Biography Born to a American Jews, Jewish family,Empire State Building (which he bought with partner Harry Helmsley in 1961 from

Henry Crown Henry Crown (; June 13, 1896 – August 14, 1990) was an American industrialist and philanthropist. Among other things, he founded the Material Service Corporation, which merged with General Dynamics in 1959. At the time of his death, he was a ...

), the Equitable Building, the

Graybar Building Graybar is an American employee-owned corporation, based in Clayton, Missouri. It conducts a wholesale distribution business for electrical, communications and data networking products, and is a provider of related supply-chain management and l ...

, the Fisk Building, the Garment Centre Capitol Building, the Fifth Avenue Building, the Lincoln Building as well as many prominent hotels including the Plaza Hotel, the Taft Hotel, Hotel St. Moritz, the Lexington Hotel, and the Hotel Governor Clinton. He also participated in transactions in Newark, Palm Beach, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Las Vegas. From 1933 to 1935, he was an official of the City Fusion Party and worked to elect Mayor

Fiorello La Guardia Fiorello Henry LaGuardia (; born Fiorello Enrico LaGuardia, ; December 11, 1882September 20, 1947) was an American attorney and politician who represented New York in the House of Representatives and served as the 99th Mayor of New York City fro ...

. Wien & Malkin was renamed Malkin Holdings after the spinoff and IPO of Empire State Realty Trust (), a publicly traded

real estate investment trust A real estate investment trust (REIT) is a company that owns, and in most cases operates, income-producing real estate. REITs own many types of commercial real estate, including office and apartment buildings, warehouses, hospitals, shopping cente ...

Philanthropy

Wien was a major benefactor of the arts and education. In 1956, he commissioned the statue of

Associate Justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some sta ...

Louis Brandeis of the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

which sits on the campus of

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , ...

. In 1958, he donated $8.5 million to Brandeis University to endow the Wien International Scholarship which pays the tuition, room & board, and travel expenses for 50 foreign students per year. In 1959 he created a national scholarship at

; Wien contributed over $20 million during his life to his alma mater Columbia including $6 million for the construction of a new stadium at Baker Field, now known as the Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium. In 1969, he donated $1.2 million to the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts where he served as vice chairman and a trustee for 20 years. From 1960 to 1963, Wien served as president of the

Federation of Jewish Philanthropies UJA-Federation of New York (United Jewish Appeal⁣ – ⁣ Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York, Inc.) is the largest local philanthropy in the world. Headquartered in New York City, the organization raises and allocates funds annuall ...

. From 1964 to 1970, he served as trustee of Columbia University and in 1981, was awarded its Alexander Hamilton Medal, the highest honor given to an alumnus. From 1957 to 1984, Wien served as a Trustee of Brandeis University, and became its Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Personal life

Wien was married twice. In 1929, he married Mae Levy; she died in 1986. They had two daughters: Enid W. Morse and Isabel W. Malkin. In 1987, he married Ruth Kupper. In 1988, Wien died of prostate cancer at his home in

Westport, Connecticut Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, along the Long Island Sound within Connecticut's Gold Coast. It is northeast of New York City. The town had a population of 27,141 according to the 2020 U.S. Census. History ...

. His granddaughter, Cynthia Allison Malkin, is married to

Richard Blumenthal Richard Blumenthal (; born February 13, 1946) is an American lawyer and politician who is the senior United States senator from Connecticut, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he is one of the wealthiest members of ...

who was elected as

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

of Connecticut in 2011.New York Times: "Miss Malkin Plans Bridal"
November 29, 1981

Honorary degrees

* Doctor of Laws: Columbia University, Brandeis University, Long Island University, Fairfield University, St. John's University * other honorary degrees: Canisius College and The Juilliard School

Named after Lawrence Wien

*Wien Hall: a dormitory at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

* Wien International Scholarship Program: Scholarship instituted for international students at

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , ...

; over 800 students have attended Brandeis on such scholarships since 1958 *The main reading room at

Butler Library Butler Library is located on the Morningside Heights campus of Columbia University at 535 West 114th Street, in Manhattan, New York City. It is the university's largest single library with over 2 million volumes, as well as one of the largest b ...

at Columbia University * Lawrence A. Wien Stadium: Stadium located at the northern tip of Manhattan and home of the Columbia University Lions football team *Wien Soccer Stadium at Columbia University *Wien Professorship of Real Property Law at Columbia Law School *Wien National Scholarship Program at Columbia Law School, awarded annually to students from each of the 11 Federal Circuit Court jurisdictions *Wien Faculty Building at Brandeis University *Wien Walk: Pathway running from the 60th Street entrance of

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...

to the Central Park Zoo in Manhattan *Wien Walk 2 at Lincoln Center *Columbia Wien Prize in Social Responsibility *The Lawrence A. Wien Center for Dance and Theater, at 890 Broadway

References

External links

Lawrence A. Wien Papers, Columbia University Libraries
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wien, Lawrence 1905 births 1988 deaths American real estate businesspeople New York (state) lawyers Philanthropists from New York (state) Columbia Law School alumni People from New York City Jewish American philanthropists Businesspeople from New York City 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American philanthropists Columbia College (New York) alumni Wien family 20th-century American Jews