Jack Rudin, the leader of a New York real estate dynasty and one the nation’s wealthiest families, has died. He was 92.
He died Dec. 4 at home in Manhattan, Jacqueline Hlavenka, a family spokeswoman, said by telephone. The cause was pneumonia.
The chairman of Rudin Management Co. was patriarch to a family whose role in New York real estate traces its roots to the purchase of a single property on East 54th Street in 1905. Today it is among the largest private landlords in the city and owns 16 office properties, including 80 Pine St., which occupies a full block near the New York Stock Exchange, according to the firm’s website.
Rudin Management also owns rental buildings and is developing the site of the former St. Vincent’s hospital in Greenwich Village into a condominium project called Greenwich Lane.
Two Brothers
The family was the 61st wealthiest clan in the U.S. as of 2015, according to Forbes. Rudin presided over their empire with his brother, Lewis Rudin, until the younger sibling died in 2001. Jack Rudin oversaw construction and development, while Lewis Rudin was the public face of the company and its rental agent.
Lewis Rudin’s son, William, is vice chairman and chief executive officer of the firm, and Jack Rudin’s son, Eric, is vice chairman and president.
Jack Rudin was born June 28, 1924, in the Bronx, New York, to Samuel Rudin and the former May Cohen.
He graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School and briefly attended City College in New York before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1942. Serving in Europe during World War II, he achieved the rank of staff sergeant, was awarded the Bronze Star and helped liberate Nazi concentration camps, according to the statement.
First Building