Jules Ephraim Mastbaum (July 7, 1872 – December 8, 1926) was a

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

movie theater magnate and philanthropist. He donated the

Rodin Museum The Rodin Museum is an art museum located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that contains one of the largest collections of sculptor Auguste Rodin's works outside Paris. Opened in 1929, the museum is administered by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. ...

and its collection to the city of Philadelphia. His daughter,

Peggy Solomon Margery Lee Golder Solomon (''née'' Mastbaum; August 14, 1908 – March 4, 1995), was an American bridge player from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As Peggy Golder in 1942, she became ACBL Life Master number 33, the third woman to achieve the ran ...

, was a

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

champion.

Biography

Mastbaum was born to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in Philadelphia in 1872, the son of Fannie (née Ephraim) and Levi Mastbaum. He had one brother, Stanley V. Mastbaum; and two sisters who both married sons of

Adam Gimbel Adam Gimbel (May 16, 1817 – June 28, 1896) was the founder of the Gimbels, Gimbel Brothers Company. Biography Gimbel was born to a German Jews, Jewish family in the Palatinate (region), Palatinate, then a part of Bavaria, in 1817 where he work ...

, the founder of

Gimbels Gimbel Brothers (known simply as Gimbels) was an American department store corporation that operated for over a century, from 1842 until 1987. Gimbel patriarch Adam Gimbel opened his first store in Vincennes, Indiana, in 1842. In 1887, the comp ...

department store, Minnie Mastbaum Gimbel (married to Ellis A. Gimbel Sr.); and Julia Mastbaum Gimbel (married to Louis Stanley Gimbel). He attended public schools and the Central Manual School, earning a scholarship to the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, where he graduated with a degree in Finance. After school, he took a job as a clerk at the

Department Store in

Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The populations was 29,204 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Danville micropolitan area. History The area that is now Danville was on ...

, after which he was transferred to their

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

store and then to their

store where he became Gimbels' European representative earning $7,500 per annum, then Gimbel's highest salary. Mastbaum began investing in real estate by purchasing Felix Isman's portfolio with his brother Stanley and

Alfred W. Fleisher Alfred W. Fleisher (c. 1878 - December 25, 1928) was an American real estate investor and philanthropist. He was the co-founder and head of Mastbaum Brothers & Fleisher, and the president of the board of trustees of the Eastern State Penitentiary. ...

as partners forming the firm ''Mastbaum Brothers and Fleisher''. He opened the first nickelodeon in Philadelphia at an empty storefront at 8th and Market and he then went on to purchase the Regent Theatre in 1911. He successively began to purchase more theatres with his company Motion Picture Company of America which he changed to Central Market Street Company and then Stanley Company of America in honor of his brother who died in 1918. In 1918, the company operated thirty-four theatres; in May 1926, an $80,000,000 merger added two hundred and twenty-five theatres to his chain and the Stanley Company of America became the largest theatre chain in the world. After his death in 1926, his wife assumed control of Stanley Company of America.

Personal life

Maustbaum was married to

Etta Wedell Mastbaum Etta Wedell Mastbaum (September 6, 1886 – November 1, 1953) was an American philanthropist, department store executive, art collector, and director of a national chain of motion picture theaters. Biography Born Etta Lit Wedell to a Jewish famil ...

, the daughter of Rachel P. Lit who founded the original store that became

Lit Brothers Lit Brothers was a moderately-priced department store based in Philadelphia. Samuel and Jacob Lit opened the first store at Market Street (Philadelphia), Market and N. 8th streets in 1891. Lits positioned itself well as a more affordable alterna ...

; they had three daughters: Louisette "Billie" Mastbaum Wolf Dickson, Margery "Peggy" Mastbaum Solomon, and Elizabeth Mastbaum.

Legacy

*Donation of the

Jules Mastbaum Vocational/Technical School The Jules E. Mastbaum Area Vocational/Technical School (commonly referred to as the Jules Mastbaum Area Vocational High School) is a public high school in Kensington, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a part of the School District ...

named after him

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mastbaum, Jules 1872 births 1926 deaths American Jews Businesspeople from Philadelphia American philanthropists Mastbaum family University of Pennsylvania alumni