Charles Smith (developer)

Charles E. Smith
Born
Schmidoff

(1901-03-28)March 28, 1901
Lipnick, Russian Empire
DiedDecember 30, 1995(1995-12-30) (aged 94)
Palm Beach, Florida, US
Educationdegree in accounting
Alma materCity College of New York
Occupation(s)Real estate developer, philanthropist
Years activein business until 1967; philanthropist thereafter
OrganizationCharles E. Smith Companies
Board member ofGeorge Washington University trustee 1967–1976
Spouse(s)Leah Goldstein (m. 1927–death 1972)
Miriam Uretz Smith
​
(div. 1988)​
ChildrenArlene Kogod, Robert H. Smith
RelativesRobert Kogod (son-in-law)
David Bruce Smith (grandson)
Awardshonorary doctorates from:
Notes

Charles Emil Smith (né Schmidoff; March 28, 1901 – December 30, 1995)[1][2] was a real estate developer and philanthropist in the Washington metropolitan area.

Biography

Early life

Smith (born Schmidoff),[1] was born in Lipnick, Russian Empire on March 28, 1901[2] to Sadie and Reuven Schmidoff, in an Orthodox Russian Jewish family.[3][4] His family farmed potatoes and corn.[4] At age 7, he contracted diphtheria.[4] His father immigrated to the U.S. in 1908 to earn money to bring the rest of the family over.[4] Smith immigrated to Brownsville, Brooklyn, in 1911 speaking only Yiddish upon his arrival.[1] He was placed in the fourth grade despite being the same age as sixth graders.[4] He learned English quickly and graduated from City College of New York.[1] His father became a real estate developer and brought Smith into the business.[1]

Career

Smith started a home construction company in Brooklyn, but lost everything in the Great Depression.[5] To support himself, Smith invested in parking spaces and vending machines.[1]

In 1942, due to an unsatiable demand for housing during World War II, Smith moved to Rockville, Maryland.[5] With financing from a friend,[1] Smith built 50 houses in Prince George's County, Maryland, but lost money on the development after costs soared.[1][5] After working for Waverly Taylor for 3 years, he founded the Charles E. Smith Company in 1946, with money from friends.[1][5] He then changed focus to developing income-producing apartment properties in Washington, D.C. for long-term investments, taking advantage of low-cost government financing.[1][5] In 1960, he built his first office building, 1717 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.[5] In 1961, at the suggestion of his son, Robert H. Smith, the company began developing in Crystal City, Virginia, which at the time was a "conglomeration of places that sold junk, used tires, a drive-in movie theater, a run-down ice skating rink, second-hand materials -- it was very unattractive."[5] Smith initially opposed the idea.[1]

He retired in 1967 and turned to philanthropy, giving control of the company to his son, Robert H. Smith, and his son-in-law, Robert P. Kogod.[5][1]

Philanthropy

Smith financed and organized a complex in Rockville for Jewish agencies including the Hebrew Home for the Aged, the Jewish Social Service Agency and the Jewish Community Center.[6][7] He was a trustee of George Washington University (GWU) from 1967 to 1976 as well as Chairman of the Committee on University Development. The Charles E. Smith Center at George Washington University is named in his honor.[8][9]

He played a key role in developing GW's branch campus in Loudoun County, Virginia.

His contributions to Jewish philanthropy include:

Smith held honorary doctorates from Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Jewish Theological Seminary and George Washington University.[1] In 1997, he was posthumously awarded an Honor Award from the National Building Museum alongside other community developers of Washington, D.C., including Morris Cafritz and Charles Antone Horsky.[11]

Personal life

Smith married twice. His first wife was Leah Goldstein of Yonkers whom he married on February 8, 1927;[4] they had two children, Robert H. Smith and Arlene Smith Kogod (married to Robert P. Kogod).[4] Leah died in 1972. His second wife was Miriam Schuman Uretz Smith; they divorced in 1988.[1][12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Weil, Martin (January 1, 1996). "Washington Builder, Philanthropist Charles E. Smith Dies". The Washington Post.
  2. ^ a b c Smith, David Bruce (2000). Conversations with Papa Charlie: A Memory of Charles E. Smith. Capital Books. ISBN 978-1-892123-34-3.
  3. ^ Shapiro, Edward S. (1995). A Time for Healing: American Jewry since World War II. JHU Press. p. 120. ISBN 9780801851247.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "About Charles E. Smith". Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Haggerty, Maryann (February 5, 1996). "EMPIRE OF THE SON AND SON-IN-LAW". The Washington Post.
  6. ^ Smith, David Bruce (October 2, 2008). 13 Young Men: How Charles E. Smith Influenced a Community (Google eBook). Washington D.C.: David Bruce Smith. ISBN 978-0-615-26854-5. LCCN 2010467953.
  7. ^ "100+ Years Caring for Our Community". Charles E. Smith Life Communities.
  8. ^ VAN DYNE, LARRY (July 1, 2001). "Chasing Money". Washingtonian.
  9. ^ "Smith and Kogod families commit $10 million for transformational renovation of Charles E. Smith Center" (Press release). George Washington University. February 14, 2008.
  10. ^ Holzel, David (November 10, 2015). "Charles E. Smith celebrating 50 years of educating children". Washington Jewish Week.
  11. ^ "Va. Trust Hopes to Buy Battlefield". The Washington Post. September 13, 1997.
  12. ^ "Miriam H. Smith "Micki"". The Washington Post. November 6, 2014 – via Legacy.com.

Bibliography