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June 3, 2016

Hartford entrepreneur David T. Chase dies at 88

PHOTO | HBJ File Prominent entrepreneur and philanthropist David T. Chase has died at 88.

Prominent entrepreneur and philanthropist David T. Chase has died at the age of 88.

Chase’s career spanned many different industries including commercial real estate, banking, telecommunications, construction, manufacturing and hotels, according to his obituary. He played a leading role in developing the Hartford skyline and reinvigorating downtown Hartford in the 1970s and 1980s with the construction of the "Gold Building", One Corporate Center (known as the Stilts Building), and 280 Trumbull St.

His reach extended well beyond Hartford. He also built New Haven's Connecticut Financial Center, which is the city’s tallest building. Chase developed many shopping centers across the nation, including pioneering the development of Topps Department stores in the 1950s. He was also an investor in several regional banks including South End Bank and Trust, First National Bank of Enfield, which ultimately became the First International Bank.

Chase was one of the first Americans to invest in Poland after the fall of the Berlin Wall, owing much to his friendship with Pope John Paul II, who asked that he return to Poland to help their transition from communism to capitalism. His Polish investments included the first Polish-American owned bank, paving the way for his revolutionary infrastructure investment, which brought cable television to Poland.

Chase co-founded the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C., led fundraising efforts for the world Holocaust remembrance center Yad Vashem, and was heavily involved with the Rabbinical College of America, as well as supporting numerous hospitals and universities in Israel.

Chase’s funeral service will be Sunday, June 5, at 2 p.m., at Congregation Beth Israel located at 701 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford.

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