Sam Eig
| Samuel Eig | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1899 |
| Died | 1982 (aged 82–83) |
| Nationality | United States |
| Occupation | Real estate developer |
| Known for | development of Silver Spring, Maryland |
| Net worth | $100,000,000 (1940) |
| Religion | Jewish |
Sam Eig (c. 1899 – 1982) was an American real estate developer active in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.[1][2]
Biography
Eig was born in Smilovichi, Russia (now Belarus) to a Jewish family.[2] In 1914, he immigrated to the United States[1] arriving first in Seattle then New York City and then in Washington D.C..[1] He worked various jobs as a bellboy, busboy, construction worker, and butcher’s assistant.[1] After a failed investment in a grocery store, he opened a liquor store in 1930s which was successful enabling him to buy a distillery. Using the earnings from this business, he started to invest in real estate in then undeveloped Silver Spring, Maryland. In 1944, he purchased the Silver Spring Shopping Center; and in 1946, he built the Eig Building.[1] Eig was a proponent of further development in Silver Spring and was an active member of the Silver Spring Board of Trade.[1] In the late 1930s, he personally developed 30 housing lots in Rock Creek Forest, after being denied financing from local banks.[1] Aware that people preferred to move to places that were more established, Eig donated land for the construction of community centers and churches[1] including a Red Cross building and Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring.[3] Eig was successful and by the late 1940s, his real estate holdings were valued at over $100 million.[1] He later expanded into hotels building the Washingtonian Center in Gaithersburg, Maryland in 1957 and the Georgian Motel in Silver Spring in 1961.[1]
Sam Eig Highway, a continuation of Interstate 370, was named in his honor.[2] Eig died in 1982 at the age of 83.