Percy Uris

Percy Uris (August 19, 1899 – November 20, 1971) was an American real estate entrepreneur and philanthropist^[2] who co-founded with his brother Harold Uris, the Uris Buildings Corporation.

Biography

Uris was born to a Jewish family, the son of Sadie (née Copland) and Harris Uris, an immigrant from Russia and founder of an ornamental ironwork factory.^[1][3] After earning a degree from Columbia University in 1920,^[1] Percy joined his brother, Harold, and their father in developing residential real estate. After WWII, the brothers focused on commercial development, with Harold handling the construction and Percy the financial aspects.^[2] Claiming to be the largest private developers in New York City, the Uris Brothers primarily used architect Emery Roth.^[4] In 1960, they created Uris Buildings Corp. as a real estate investment company.^[3][5] One of the last buildings the brothers built together was the Uris Building housing the Uris Theater.^[6] Soon after Percy's death in 1971, Harold sold the corporation to National Kinney Corporation for $115 million,^[2] but the assets were soon foreclosed in NY's real estate recession.^[2]

In 1956, the brothers created the Uris Brothers Foundation donating generously to Cornell, Columbia, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A social sciences building built in 1972 was named for Uris and his brother Harold.^[7] In 1962, the main University Library building was renamed Uris Library. In 1998, the Uris Brothers Foundation was dissolved after donating all its remaining assets: $10 million to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, $10 million to the Central Park Conservancy, $3 million to the New York Public Library, $3 million to Thirteen/WNET, $2.5 million to Carnegie Hall, and $1.5 million to the New School for Social Research.^[8]

Uris was married and had two daughters: Mrs. Allan Levitt and Mrs. Peter Koolavitch.^[1] He died on November 20, 1971 in Palm Beach, Florida.^[1]

Notable projects

Uris Brothers developed the following buildings either solely or jointly with others.^[6][9]

• Hotel Carter
• 930 Fifth Avenue
• 880 Fifth Avenue (Emery Roth's final building)
• 2 Sutton Place
• 55 Water Street, 1972, New York
• American Tobacco Company Building
• J.C. Penney Building (333 E 33rd St.)
• I.T.T. Building
• RCA Communications Building (60 Broad Street)
• Paramount Plaza, 1971, New York (also included the Gershwin Theatre then called the Uris Theatre
• 245 Park Avenue, 1967, New York
• Hilton Washington, 1965, Washington, DC
• Credit Lyonnais Building, 1964, New York
• New York Hilton, 1963, New York
• Look Building 488 Madison Avenue, 1950, New York (on National Register of Historic Places)
• 380 Madison Avenue
• 300 Park Avenue (Colgate-Palmolive Building)
• 575 Madison Avenue
• 485 Lexington Avenue
• 750 Third Avenue
• 2 Broadway
• 850 Third Avenue
• 320 Park Avenue
• 350 Park Avenue (Manufacturers Hanover Trust Building)
• 1290 Avenue of the Americas (Sperry Rand Building)
• 1301 Avenue of the Americas
• 111 Wall Street
• 1633 Broadway
• 10 East 53rd Street

References