Lewis Wolff - Biography

Lewis N. Wolff (commonly shortened to Lew) is an American real estate developer. Wolff is also known for owning sports franchises; he is currently the co-owner of the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball and the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer. He attended the University of Wisconsin where he was a member of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity and a fraternity brother of MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. Wolff is credited with the redevelopment and revitalization of downtown San Jose, where for many years he was the largest developer of office, hotel, and parking.

Biography

Wolff graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned his MBA from Washington University in St. Louis in 1961.

In 1994, Wolff founded Maritz, Wolff & Co with Philip Maritz in St. Louis, Missouri. The company owned interest in eighteen hotel and resort properties around the world, including the Fairmont San Jose Hotel, the Fairmont San Francisco, the Carlyle Hotel, the Four Seasons Hotel Nevis, the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto, and the Park Hyatt Sydney. In 2011 Wolff and his partner, Philip Maritz, orchestrated the $800 million sale of five hotels, including The Carlyle and the Rosewood Management Company to New World, a Hong Kong based real estate and hotel company.

Wolff has a long history of sports franchise ownership. In the past, he has been a co-owner of the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League and the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association. On April 1, 2005, Wolff and an ownership group purchased the Oakland Athletics baseball team; Wolff became the 8th owner of the franchise purchasing the interests of Stephen Schott and Ken Hofmann. In 2006, the A's ownership group purchased an option to revive the San Jose Earthquakes franchise of Major League Soccer. At the 2007 MLS All Star Game, it was announced that Wolff has exercised the option, and the Earthquakes began play during the 2008 MLS season. In January 2011, it was speculated that he had interest in buying the Los Angeles Dodgers, but later denied this.

Criticism

Fans have criticized Wolff for his management of the Oakland Coliseum, blocking the spectacular outfield sunset with Mount Davis and forcing fans to buy more expensive tickets by closing off the cheap seats with the exception of certain areas with specialized pricing. Wolff did not block the spectacular view, that was done by the City of Oakland, County of Alameda and the Oakland Raiders years before Wolff purchased the A's.

External links

• Wolff Urban website
• Maritz Wolff website