Irwin Molasky

Irwin Molasky
Born(1927-02-22)February 22, 1927
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
DiedJuly 4, 2020(2020-07-04) (aged 93)
Occupation(s)Real estate developer, philanthropist
Spouse(s)Pepie (Bookbinder) Molasky (divorced)
Susan (Frey) Molasky
Children4

Irwin Molasky (February 22, 1927 – July 4, 2020) was an American real estate developer and philanthropist from Las Vegas, Nevada. He was the Chairman of The Molasky Group of Companies.

Early life

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Irwin Molasky was born to a Jewish family[1] on February 22, 1927 in St. Louis, Missouri. Molasky moved with his family to Dayton, Ohio. He served in the United States Military after World War II.[2] His father ran an Ohio newspaper distribution business and managed several apartments.[3] Molasky went to a military high school and attended college and worked during summers as a teenager.[3] He attended Ohio State University and transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), but did not graduate from either institution.[3] Instead, he worked his way up in construction.[3]

Real estate development

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Molasky moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1951.[3] Soon after arriving he bought property and built an 18-room motel, The Pyramids.[4] With Moe Dalitz, Allard Roen and Merv Adelson, he founded Paradise Development, a real estate development company in the 1950s.[5] Together, they founded the Sunrise Hospital, the Boulevard Mall and the Las Vegas Country Club.[5] Later, they also developed the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California.[5]

Meanwhile, Molasky became the Chairman of The Molasky Group of Companies, a real estate development company.[6][7][8] He has built the first master-planned community, Paradise Palms and the first high-rise office building in Las Vegas, the 17-story Bank of American Plaza; and the Nathan Adelson Hospice.[3][6][7] Additionally, he helped find the right location for the McCarran International Airport and assisted with the land purchase for the Las Vegas Convention Center.[7] Moreover, he built the Internal Revenue Service Headquarters in Las Vegas,[9][10] the Social Security Administration building in Las Vegas, the Casa Grande Re-entry Facility for the State of Nevada Department of Corrections, and the Clark County Detention Facility.[8][11] Molasky also purchased the Regency Towers high-rise condominium tower after it went into foreclosure in the 1970s.[12] Molasky and Steve Wynn later built the Park Towers high-rise condominiums, completed in 2001.[13] In 2007, his company completed the Molasky Corporate Center in downtown Las Vegas. It is a green building used for office space, and is the only building by Molasky to use his name.[14]

Television production

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With Merv Adelson and Lee Rich, he was a co-founder of Lorimar Productions, a conglomerate of television, broadcasting, and print companies.[7] He also served on its board of directors.[7]

Molasky admitted in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he used the company as a "tax shelter."[15]

Equestrianism

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Molasky owned racehorses with trainer Bruce Headley.[3] One of his horses was Kona Gold.[3]

Philanthropy

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Molasky was a key figure in the development of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas through a donation of 45 acres (18 ha) of prime land at Flamingo Road and Maryland Parkway.[6][7] He also served as the Founding Chairman of the UNLV Foundation, the fundraising arm of the university.[16]

Molasky served on the board of directors of Project REAL, a non-profit organization that teaches "principles of democracy, law and the responsibilities of citizenship" to schoolchildren in Las Vegas.[17]

The Molasky Junior High School in Las Vegas is named in his honor.[18] Molasky was one of the founders of the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas.[19]

Personal life and death

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Molasky was married to Pepie (Bookbinder) Molasky.[3] He then married Susan (Frey) Molasky.[3] He has three sons and a daughter, all of whom work at The Molasky Group of Companies.

In 1998, Irwin & Susan Molasky Junior High School, a middle school in Las Vegas, opened in his and his second wife’s honor.

Molasky died of natural causes on July 4, 2020, at the age of 93.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Marschall, John P. (February 1, 2008). Jews in Nevada: A History. University of Nevada Press. p. 179. ISBN 9780874177374.[permanent dead link‍]
  2. ^ a b Torres-Cortez, Ricardo (July 4, 2020). "Irwin Molasky, who developed the first hospital and mall in Las Vegas, remembered as 'tremendous leader'". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j A.D. Hoplinkas, Irwin Molasky, Las Vegas Review-Journal, September 12, 1999
  4. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Irwin Molasky. YouTube.
  5. ^ a b c Ed Koch, Desert Inn, Stardust chief helped integrate Las Vegas Strip, Las Vegas Sun, September 1, 2008
  6. ^ a b c University of Nevada, Las Vegas: Lee Business School: Business Hall of Fame Inductee: Irwin Molasky
  7. ^ a b c d e f Nathan Adelson Hospice: Board of Trustees: Irwin Molasky
  8. ^ a b The Molaky Group of Companies
  9. ^ Packer, Adrienne (January 15, 2003). "Molasky joins with Goodman on downtown: Mayor confirms development project with former critic in State of the City address". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on December 27, 2004. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  10. ^ "Council OKs tax breaks for developer". Las Vegas Review-Journal. January 23, 2003. Archived from the original on November 4, 2004. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  11. ^ The Molasky Group of Companies: Portfolio
  12. ^ Macy, Robert (April 8, 1999). "Developers pitching pricey penthouses as Vegas enters the condo market". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
  13. ^ Leong, Grace (August 9, 2001). "Suit challenges lien against Park Towers". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
  14. ^ "Molasky Corporate Center wins major award". Las Vegas Review-Journal. May 17, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  15. ^ Lacey Rose, Andy Lewis, How Lorimar, the Company Behind 'Dallas' and 'Falcon Crest,' Bred Hollywood's Ruling Executive Class, The Hollywood Reporter, 01/09/2014
  16. ^ William . Rhoden, COLLEGE ATHLETICS; Built on Big-Time Basketball, U.N.L.V. Tries to Scrub Its Image, The New York Times, July 1, 1991
  17. ^ Project REAL: Board of Directors
  18. ^ Molasky Junior High School
  19. ^ "You Only Turn 50 Once!". jewishnevada.org. August 5, 2016.
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