Percy and Harold D. Uris papers, 1901-2003

Percy Uris was born on August 19, 1899, and his younger brother Harold D. Uris arrived on May 26, 1905. The sons of Harris Uris and Sadie (Copland) Uris were raised in New York City where their father had established a successful ornamental ironwork factory. Percy attended Columbia University and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration in 1920. After graduation, Percy and his father developed residential properties. Upon completing his degree in civil engineering at Cornell University, Harold joined the family in real estate development. In 1935, each brother married, Percy to Joanne Diotte and Harold to Ruth Chinitz. Their families maintained residences in Manhattan, Long Island, and Florida over the years.

After World War II, the Uris brothers focused on commercial properties and became profitable investment builders in New York City. Percy handled the financial side of the business, including the purchase of properties, negotiation of loans, sale of parcels, assembly of plots, financing, rental pricing, and calculation of profits while Harold was primarily involved with construction. Their commercial properties included: 380 Madison Avenue; 300 Park Avenue (Colgate-Palmolive Building); 488 Madison Avenue (Look Building); 575 Madison Avenue; 485 Lexington Avenue; 750 Third Avenue; 2 Broadway; 850 Third Avenue; 320 Park Avenue; 350 Park Avenue (Manufacturers Hanover Trust Building); 60 Broad Street; 1290 Avenue of the Americas (Sperry Rand Building); 1301 Avenue of the Americas; 245 Park Avenue; 111 Wall Street; 1633 Broadway; 10 East 53rd Street; and 55 Water Street. The Urises frequently employed the architectural firm of Emery Roth & Sons to design their buildings, including several of those listed above. In 1960, Percy and Harold organized Uris Buildings Corporation and it became a prominent investment builder. The brothers retained private ownership of four buildings: 380 Madison Avenue, 300 Park Avenue, 485 Lexington Avenue, and 750 Third Avenue.

Percy and Harold Uris were active alumni of their respective alma maters and generous philanthropists. They established the Uris Brothers Foundation, Inc. in 1956 to direct their donations to several charitable organizations and educational institutions. At Columbia, Percy served as a Trustee of the University, special advisor to the President for new construction, and was a member of several alumni councils and associations. The construction of Uris Hall, home to the Columbia University Graduate School of Business, was in large part funded by a $3 million donation from the Uris brothers. Harold was trustee for Cornell University, the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies, the City Center for Music and Drama, Lenox Hill Hospital, the New York Building Congress, and the New York Committee of the American Cancer Society. Harold and Ruth also established an educational center at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Two years after Percy Uris's death in 1971, the family's interest in Uris Buildings Corporation was sold to National Kinney Corporation. Harold Uris died on March 28, 1982 and the family appears to have retained ownership of the remaining office buildings until the late 1990s.