Abraham Bolsky; Builder, Charity Leader

Abraham S. Bolsky, builder of many Los Angeles landmarks and a humanist who served several of its charities, died Thursday at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Burbank.

The president of Tishman Construction Corp. of California and executive vice president and director of the national Tishman Realty & Construction Co. was 68. He died of heart failure, said company spokesman Bernie Roswig.

Bolsky, who joined Tishman in New York in 1954 and came to California in 1958, directed the construction of more than 50 major developments in the West, including three of Los Angeles’ largest buildings--the Twin Towers in Century City and the Broadway Plaza and 48-story Wells Fargo Bank Building downtown.

He also was construction manager for the recently opened $106-million, 825,000-square-foot Ronald Reagan State Office Building at 3rd and Spring streets, Colorado Place in Santa Monica, the Rodeo Collection in Beverly Hills, the Park Hyatt Hotel in Santa Monica, Nikko Hotel in Beverly Hills and several buildings in Century City.

Bolsky served six years as chairman of the national board of directors of the City of Hope, was a member of the board of governors of the Otis Art Institute of the Parsons School of Design and a director of the Hebrew Union College and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

On Friday, Richard S. Ziman, chairman of the board of City of Hope, recalled that Bolsky served the medical center and research center “during critical and changing times.”

“His leadership was exemplary, his word was his bond and his caring for people and institutions was extraordinary,” Ziman said.

The son of a garment worker, Bolsky graduated from City College of New York with a degree in civil engineering.

With John Tishman and Irwin Miller, he became a principal of New York-based Tishman Realty, one of the largest builders in the nation. In Los Angeles, he was chief executive officer of the company’s Western region.

He led the development of the Mid-Wilshire corridor and other projects, and also was closely involved with the building of Disney’s Epcot Center near Orlando, Fla.

His survivors include his wife, Helen, and two daughters.

A funeral service is scheduled for noon Sunday at Mt. Sinai Memorial Park in Los Angeles. Donations in his memory may be made to the City of Hope.