Ben Novack

Ben Novack (1907-1985) was an American hotelier who developed the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel.

Ben Novack
Born
Benjamin Novick

1907
DiedApril 6, 1985 (aged 78)
NationalityAmerican
OccupationHotelier
Spouse(s)Bella Novack (divorced)
Bernice Mildred Stempel
ChildrenRonald Marc Novack
Ben Novack Jr.
Parent(s)Sadie and Hyman Novick

Biography

Novack was born to a Jewish family,[1] the son of Sadie and Hyman Novick.[2] He had three older siblings: Miriam (born 1903), Joseph (born 1904), and Lillian (born 1905).[2] His father was an immigrant from Russia who worked as a clothing cutter before opening his own clothing store; after the store failed, the family moved to the Catskill Mountains where he operated a hotel in the Borscht Belt.[2] After his father's death, he operated the hotel with his brother but disagreements led him to move to New York City where he Americanized his name to Novack and ran a haberdashery; the store also failed after he had a falling out with his partner.[2]

In 1940, Novack and his wife moved to Miami Beach with $1,800 they had from liquidating his clothing stores assets.[2] At the time, Miami Beach was thriving despite the Great Depression thanks to it having become the winter playground of the rich.[2] He raised additional funds and purchased the 111-room Monroe Towers Hotel which turned into a lucrative investment once World War II started and the U.S. government used Miami as a training ground for 100,000 soldiers that required basic living space.[2] With his earnings, he bought out his partners and went on to purchase four more hotels including the Cornell and the Atlantis.[2] In 1949, he partnered with Harry Mufson and opened the Sans Souci Hotel designed by Morris Lapidus.[2]

In 1952, Novack and Mufson purchased the Harvey Firestone mansion for $2.3 million; the partnership soon collapsed after Novack deceived Mufson and set about to have himself as the sole owner on the deed.[2] Novack raised additional funds from a diverse range of investors including mobsters Sam Giancana and Joseph Fischetti; he again used Morris Lapidus as the architect.[2] In 1954, the 1,250-room Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel opened.[2] Steve Wynn (who would marry Novack's great-niece) commented that the Fontainebleau created the concept of the hotel as a show.[2] His estranged partner, Mufson, would go on to build the Eden Roc Miami Beach Hotel immediately to the north of the Fontainebleau also using Lapidus as architect.[2] In 1977, the Fontainebleau filed for Federal bankruptcy protection.[3] In 1978, Stephen Muss bought the Fontainebleau for $27 million.[4][5][6] In 2005, Muss sold the Fontainebleau to Donald Soffer's, Turnberry Associates[7] for $165 million.[6]

Personal life

Novack married twice. His first wife was Bella Novack; they adopted a son, Ronald Marc Novack, before divorcing in 1951.[2][8] In 1952, he married Bernice Mildred Stempel, a model born to a Jewish father and Roman Catholic mother of Irish descent.[2] In 1956, Bernice had a son, Ben Novack Jr.[2] Novack died of heart and lung failure on April 6, 1985.[3] His great-niece, Andrea Hissom, is married to Steve Wynn.[9] Ben and Joseph Novack were brothers, Joseph was Andrea's grandfather, making Ben Sr her granduncle.

In 2009, his wife Bernice and his son, Ben Novack Jr. were murdered three months apart. Narcy Novack (née Narcisa Véliz Pacheco; born 1947), Ben Jr.'s estranged wife, was convicted of orchestrating the murders and, after a highly publicized trial, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.[10]

References
  1. Zerivitz, Marcia Jo (2009). Jews of Greater Miami. Jewish Museum of Florida. ISBN 9780738567198.
  2. Glatt, John (2013). The Prince of Paradise: The True Story of a Hotel Heir, His Seductive Wife, and a Ruthless Murder. St. Martin's Publishing Group. novack.
  3. "Ben Novack Sr.,78 Is Dead; Founder of Fontainebleau". New York Times. April 7, 1985.
  4. South Florida Business Journal: "Born to build - Muss, Soffer progeny develop joint project : Fontainebleau II" by Stephen Van Drake March 11, 2002
  5. We Are Many: Reflections On American Jewish History And Identity By Edward S Shapiro retrieved April 13, 2013
  6. Fool's Paradise: Players, Poseurs, and the Culture of Excess in South Beach By Steven Gaines pages 100 -110
  7. Sun-Sentinel: "Turnberry Buys Fontainebleau - $150 Million Targeted For Upgrades" by Tom Stieghorst January 21, 2005
  8. Brown, Julia (January 29, 2010). "Homeless drifter turns out to be heir to Novack fortune - Ronald Novack, 62, is adopted son of hotel magnate's first wife". Miami Herald. He was the adopted son of Bella and the late Ben Novack Sr., who built and ran a number of hotels in Miami Beach, including the storied Fontainebleau resort. His father and mother went through a bitter divorce. Ben Novack Sr. was having an affair with a model, Bernice, whom he later married, and together they had a son, Ben Novack Jr., in 1959.
  9. "Wynn switching restaurant's name". Las Vegas Review-Journal. October 28, 2012. Her great uncle, Ben Novack, and grandfather, Joe Novack, built the Fontainebleau hotel on Miami Beach, which opened in 1954.
  10. "Narcy Novack, brother guilty of plotting murders".
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