I’ve been thinking about Abe Pollin today.
For those of you who don’t recognize the name, Abe Pollin was a successful businessman in Washington who owned the Washington Wizards and the Capitals before Ted Leonsis. He was a towering figure in Washington, revered by his business acumen and for his philanthropic leadership.
After decades playing in an aging facility in Landover, Mr. Pollin invested $200 million of his own dollars to move the teams to a new arena. The city contributed the land and infrastructure funding.
For those of you of a certain age, you may not remember that the city in the late ’90s was in dire straits — suffering from increased crime, questionable governance from the Wilson Building, and a center city including Chinatown lacking in any sort of amenities, restaurants or theaters. It was a neighborhood searching for growth and development. And Abe Pollin offered the spark and set off the extraordinary renaissance of our downtown.
I’ve also been thinking…
Read the full story from the Washington Business Journal.
