| Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 17, 1909 Youngstown, Ohio |
| Died | December 19, 1994 (aged 85) Youngstown, Ohio |
| Education | University of Notre Dame |
| Occupation | Shopping mall developer |
| Children | Edward J. DeBartolo, Jr. Denise DeBartolo York |
| Parents | Anthony Paonessa (d. 1909) Rose Villani |
| Relatives | Michael DeBartolo, stepfather |
Edward John DeBartolo, Sr. (May 17, 1909 – December 19, 1994) was an American businessman. In 1971, his Ohio-based corporation was ranked as 47th among the nation's top 400 construction contractors; and in 1983, DeBartolo was included on Forbes magazine's first list of "richest Americans".[1]
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The second of six children, DeBartolo was born in Youngstown, Ohio, a center of steel production that was also a major destination for immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe. DeBartolo's parents, Anthony Paonessa and Rose Villani, had immigrated to the United States from Italy. DeBartolo would never know his biological father, who died suddenly before his birth.[1]
After Anthony Paonessa's death, Rose Villani Paonessa married Michael DeBartolo, and Edward took his stepfather's family name. Michael DeBartolo emigrated from Bari, Italy, with his family at age 17 and became a paving contractor and builder of warehouses and other structures.[1] While a teenager, Edward DeBartolo began working, transcribing paving contracts for his stepfather, who did not write English.
DeBartolo went on to earn a degree in civil engineering at the University of Notre Dame.[1] Next was a decade of construction jobs with his stepfather. Then in view of his engineering skills, DeBartolo found himself serving in the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II. It was during the War, in 1944, that he married Marie Patricia Montani and incorporated his own company, the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation.
After the war ended, DeBartolo served as president of Michael DeBartolo Construction and as founder and president of his newly formed company. DeBartolo was able to take advantage of dramatic changes occurring across the United States after World War II. As more Americans moved into suburbs, there was a corresponding increase in demand for convenient access to stores. DeBartolo's company was one of the first companies in the United States to build shopping centers in suburban communities. These shopping centers were initially plazas built as long strips, but soon DeBartolo began developing enclosed shopping malls as well, with brother Frank DeBartolo acting as architect.[1]
The DeBartolo Corporation was the undisputed leader in the shopping mall industry from the birth of the industry until DeBartolo's death, owning almost one-tenth of all mall space in the United States.[1] DeBartolo also branched out into other types of urban construction, such as hotels, office parks, and condominiums. He established a work ethic of fifteen-hour days and seven-day weeks, and by 1990, DeBartolo was estimated to have more than $1.4 billion dollars in personal wealth.[1]
A powerful strategic thinker, DeBartolo began acquiring department store chains in the 1980s. In 1988, he helped finance Robert Campeau's purchase of Federated Department Stores. When Campeau defaulted on loans to DeBartolo, DeBartolo received Lazarus Department Stores and controlling interest in Federated. DeBartolo's Federated positions were all realigned when Federated emerged from bankruptcy. Also in 1988 he partnered with Dillard's Department Stores to buy Higbee's of Cleveland, Ohio. In 1992 William Dillard, founder of Dillard's, bought DeBartolo's share, except for the property interest in Higbee's Public Square flagship store in Cleveland (sold to Tower City in 2001), and renamed the Higbee chain. The idea of a retail real estate developer going forward with new projects easily and quickly by virtue of anchor stores owned by the developer would never become a reality.
DeBartolo's contributions to the campus at the University of Notre Dame include DeBartolo Hall (the main classroom building), DeBartolo Performing Arts Center (DPAC), and DeBartolo Quad. There is also a DeBartolo Hall on the campus of Youngstown State University in his hometown of Youngstown, where the DeBartolo Corporation continues to be based in nearby Boardman, Ohio and has made many endowments to YSU.
DeBartolo purchased the San Francisco 49ers in 1977, giving the team to his son. Edward J. DeBartolo, Jr. devoted significant resources to the team, became an expert in team management and player relations, and made it the most successful NFL franchise in the 1980s.[1]
DeBartolo founded the Pittsburgh Maulers of the United States Football League in 1984, but folded the team after the first season when the league announced it would move to a fall schedule, the same time as the NFL and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The family also owned the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League buying the team in 1978 until selling it to an ownership group led by Howard Baldwin after the 1990-1991 season. His team would win the Stanley Cup in 1991. He would be engraved onto the Stanley Cup along with his daughter Denise DeBartolo York.[2] DeBartolo said at a rally after the first win that the occasion "possibly the happiest moment of my life."[3]
While DeBartolo was unsuccessful in his attempt to purchase the Chicago White Sox in 1980,[1] he owned and developed three thoroughbred racetracks – Thistledown in Cleveland, Remington Park in Oklahoma City, and Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, Louisiana.[1]
He died of pneumonia on December 19, 1994 in Youngstown, Ohio at the age of 85.[4]
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