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

Biography

Israel was born to a

Greek Jewish The history of the Jews in Greece can be traced back to at least the fourth century BCE. The oldest and the most characteristic Jewish group that has inhabited Greece are the Romaniotes, also known as "Greek Jews." The term "Greek Jew" is p ...

familySeattle Times: "Sam Israel, 95, Owner Of Many Seattle Buildings, Dies" By Cathy Reiner
June 13, 1994 in

Rhodes Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...

, then part of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, now part of

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. He immigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1919 and became a shoemaker in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, Washington. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, during which he had a military contract to repair

combat boot Combat or tactical 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 ...

s at

Fort Lewis Fort Lewis may refer to: * Fort Lewis (Colorado), a former United States Army post (1878–1891) in the U.S. State of Colorado ** Fort Lewis College, a college in the Durango, Colorado, United States ** Fort Lewis Skyhawks, athletic teams of Fort L ...

near

Tacoma Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mount ...

, 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 an American 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 de ...

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, Grant County, Washington (state), Washington, on the shores of Soap Lake. The population was 1,691 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Soap Lake was officially incorporated on ...

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

Legacy

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

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish life in Washington State and the State of

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

." 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 American and Canadian English 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 district ( ...

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 was among the tallest skyscrapers outside New York City at the time of its completion. It was the t ...

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 businesspeople in real estate American real estate investors 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 Pioneer Square, Seattle