Arthur Rubloff*
Class of 1955
- Chairman of the Board Arthur Rubloff and Company
Don't forget where you came from, and give back to those in need.
At the age of 12, Arthur Rubloff left grade school to make his way in the world. He shined shoes, sold papers, was a pin boy in a bowling alley for 50 cents a day, and worked as a galley boy on a Great Lakes freighter for 18 months.
After moving to Chicago and working at a few odd jobs, Rubloff entered the real estate business. In 1930, he used his meager savings to organize Rubloff and Company, which evolved into one of the nation's largest real estate firms. Rubloff became known as "the man who changed the face of Chicago" with his master plan for the North Loop, redevelopment of Old Town, and Carl Sandburg Village. He also developed Hyde Park's University Gardens. By the 1980s, the company had major projects in a dozen U.S. cities.
In 1984, Rubloff became the biggest single contributor to the Art Institute of Chicago. He also contributed to Northwestern University and the University of Chicago hospital complex.