Harry Mittleman
| Harry Mittleman | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 24, 1900 Russian Poland |
| Died | August 1, 1985 (aged 85) Portland, Oregon |
| Residence | Portland, Oregon |
| Occupation | Real estate developer |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Aronson |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) | Morris Mittleman Dora Zwibelman |
Harry Mittleman (May 24, 1900 – August 1, 1985) was a prominent building contractor, apartment owner, and real estate developer in Portland, Oregon. During his career, he built more than 20 apartment buildings and owned 30 bank buildings. Mittleman owned the Sovereign Hotel for 34 years. The Mittleman Jewish Community Center at the Schnitzer Family Campus is named after Mittleman's wife, Helen Mittleman.
Harry Mittleman was born in 1900 within a region of Europe he called Russian Poland. His father was a peddler. The family immigrated to the United States in 1911 to escape the Persecution of Jews prior to World War I, settling in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1922 Mittleman moved to Castle Rock, Washington, and opened a series of grocery stores in the surrounding area. He moved to Portland in 1925 and opened six more stores.
Citing stiff competition in the grocery business, Mittleman liquidated his grocery stores and built his first apartment building in 1928. He named it Marian Court after one of his daughters. Other apartment construction followed, and Queen Louise Apartments, Babette Manor, Adelle Manor, Charmaine Manor, Jeanne Manor, and Saint Helen's Court were named after Mittleman family members.
Mittleman was a fast builder, and he hired extra workers in the early years of the Depression era to provide jobs. At a lot that would become Parkway Manor, for example, Mittleman announced that a steam shovel would begin digging even before the architects had designed the building. Parkway Manor construction employed up to 250 workers on a 5-story project at a cost of $250,000 in 1930. Mittleman would construct more than 20 apartment buildings, and his motto was, "What Mittleman builds builds Portland!"
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