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

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

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 rank ...

, was a

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

champion.

Biography

Mastbaum was born to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

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 (1817–1896) was the founder of the Gimbel Brothers Company. Biography Gimbel was born to a Jewish family in Bavaria in 1817 where he worked in the local baron's vineyard.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 com ...

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 (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universit ...

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

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 com ...

Department Store in

Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in and the county seat of Vermilion County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 33,027. As of 2019, the population was an estimated 30,479. History The area that is now Danville was once home to the Miami, ...

, after which he was transferred to their

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

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, 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 North 8th and Market Streets in 1891. Lits positioned itself well as a more affordable alternate to its upscale competito ...

; 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 named after him

References

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