Eugene Horbach

Eugene Horbach (June 27, 1926 – January 1, 2004) was a real estate developer in the western United States from the 1960s to 2004.

Early life Horbach was born of Ukrainian stock in Klicz, Poland. He was the only child of Luba and Nikifore Horbach. Horbach was 12 years old at the onset of World War II. It has been reported that he spent years in either a refugee camp or a forced-labor camp. He graduated from the Technische Hochschule Darmstadt (today Technische Universität Darmstadt) in 1950 before moving to the United States and serving in the US Army for two years. Horbach then married Joyce Saari, and the couple moved to Bellevue, Washington, in 1953.

Career He began his career in the 1960s by founding E&H Properties and developing properties throughout the western United States. He experienced financial difficulties and his projects stalled with the collapse of the dot-com bubble. He sold most of the superblock to finance construction of the ailing Technology Tower and placed at least two properties in Salt Lake City in bankruptcy protection.

Personal life Horbach and his wife had two daughters and one son. He served as president of the local Ukrainian Trinity Orthodox Church, was a supporter of the Seattle Symphony and a benefactor of the Holy Rosary Catholic parish. He died at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center on January 1, 2004, from complications suffered after a fall.