Irvin Kahn facts for kids

Irvin J. Kahn (1916–1973) was an American lawyer and a big real estate developer. He helped San Diego grow a lot during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. He was often in the news for his work in developing areas like Clairemont, University City, and Rancho Peñasquitos. He also built one of the first tall buildings in downtown San Diego.

Early Life of Irvin J. Kahn

Irvin Kahn was born in 1916. His father, Abraham J. Kahn, was an immigrant from Russia. Abraham moved to San Diego in 1922. He ran a business that sold alcohol after a time when it was illegal to do so. Later, he turned it into a successful legal business. Irvin had two younger brothers, Julius and Yale.

Irvin Kahn's Career Path

Irvin saw his father often dealing with legal matters related to his business. This inspired Irvin to become a lawyer, focusing on defending people in court.

Irvin Kahn started his career as a defense lawyer. He represented many important clients, including local worker groups. He also worked as a lobbyist, which means he tried to influence city decisions. For example, he helped the Veterans Cab Company get more taxi permits in San Diego.

In 1952, Kahn became one of the owners of the San Diego Padres. At that time, the Padres were a minor-league baseball team. He bought the team with KFMB-TV founder Jack O. Gross. The sale was delayed for a few years because of concerns about his family's past business activities.

Even before this, Kahn had been buying land since the 1940s. His first big real estate project was an apartment complex in Point Loma. This project started in 1951 and included 312 apartments. It was part of a larger plan to build 9,000 homes for military families in San Diego.

Major Development Projects in San Diego

Starting in the mid-1950s, Irvin Kahn became very well-known for his large building projects. Between 1952 and his death in 1973, Kahn started many development projects. Some people estimate that his projects covered about 25% of all the land that could be built on in the City of San Diego.

Kahn's first major project was the Clairemont area. This project began in 1950 with Carlos Tavares and Lou Burgener. Kahn took a leading role in 1955. He was in charge of building the Clairemont Shopping Center. He also oversaw the construction of hundreds of new homes in the late 1950s. During this time, he also started projects in Chula Vista and La Mesa.

In the early 1960s, as Clairemont was almost finished, Kahn focused on University City. He worked with Carlos Tavares again and brought in developer Louis Lesser. Together, they planned to develop about 4,400 acres of land.

In 1962, Kahn bought the huge Rancho Peñasquitos area. It was about 14,000 acres. He got money from Sixty Trust, which was a pension fund for airplane manufacturer Textron, Inc. Rancho Peñasquitos was one of the last large ranches still operating within the city limits. Kahn planned to turn this land into a massive housing development. It was expected to cost $1 billion and include a golf course, apartments, single-family homes, retirement housing, and shopping centers.

Kahn's big plans caused some delays. The San Diego City Planning Commission decided to wait several years before approving his plan. They wanted a master plan for the entire area first. By 1965, the project needed more money. Kahn got help from Louis Lesser to secure funding from the Teamsters Pension Fund. This fund provided a large loan and also became a partner in the Rancho Peñasquitos development.

By the early 1970s, even more money was needed for the huge development. Kahn planned to build homes for over 150,000 people. He was able to get more funding. However, his sudden death in 1973 put these plans at risk. After Kahn passed away, the vision for Rancho Peñasquitos changed a lot. Instead of many apartments and small homes, larger single-family homes were built. Today, Rancho Peñasquitos is home to about 55,000 residents. This is much smaller than the community Kahn first imagined.

Other Notable Projects by Irvin Kahn

Besides Clairemont, University City, and Rancho Peñasquitos, Kahn was involved in many other important projects in San Diego. In the late 1950s, he worked on smaller developments in Chula Vista and La Mesa. He also supported the "Shattuck Plan" to turn Horton Plaza into a convention hall.

In 1960, he was part of a group of developers who loaned $4 million for low-income housing in Mexico. In the early 1960s, Kahn also built two tall buildings in downtown San Diego. At that time, they were among the tallest buildings in the city.

Kahn also built a bowling alley and nightclub in El Cajon with Louis Lesser. He eventually owned 11 bowling alleys. He also developed two resort hotels on Shelter Island. These were the first hotels of their kind on that small strip of land. Kahn was also the head of Continental Connector Corporation. This company owned a major share in the famous Dunes Hotel, Casino & Country Club in Las Vegas. Besides San Diego, Kahn also worked on real estate projects in San Francisco, Arizona, and Nevada.

Personal Life and Passing

Irvin Kahn was married to Eleanor Barlin (1925 - 2011). They had one son, Samuel “Sandy” Kahn. Irvin and Eleanor were very active in helping Jewish charities in San Diego.

Kahn passed away suddenly in September 1973 from a heart attack. He was watching a boxing match on TV when it happened. At the time of his death, his companies had a large amount of debt. Kahn's 19-year-old son, Samuel, who was a college student, took over the family businesses. Samuel worked to separate the Kahn family companies from their large debts and focused on less risky real estate projects.