Sam Israel

Sam Israel (March 4, 1899 – June 11, 1994) was an American real estate investor and landlord.

Biography Israel was born to a Greek Jewish family in Rhodes, then part of the Ottoman Empire, now part of Greece. He immigrated to the United States in 1919 and became a shoemaker in Seattle, Washington. many of these buildings survived to be renovated after his death in 1994. It was well known among Seattle artists that renting in an Israel building was good for art. He never raised the rent.

The Washington Shoe Building, a Samis-owned building in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood. Israel established the Samis Land Company (now simply Samis) to manage his holdings. The name is based on his first and last names. In 1979, he established the Samis Foundation.

Israel spent much of his later years in Soap Lake, Washington, which was said to remind him of the land of Israel. The Smith Tower was part of its portfolio from 1996 to 2006, and it currently owns the Collins Building, among other properties.