Edward J . DeBartolo Sr . Edward John DeBartolo , Sr . ( May 17 , 1909 – December 19 , 1994 ) was an American businessman . In 1971 , his Ohio - based corporation was ranked as 47th among the nation ' s top 400 construction contractors ; and in 1983 , DeBartolo was included on " Forbes " magazine ' s first list of " richest Americans " . Early years . The second of six children , DeBartolo was born in Youngstown , Ohio , a center of steel production that was also a major destination for immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe . DeBartolo ' s parents , Anthony Paonessa and Rose Villani , had immigrated to the United States from Italy . DeBartolo would never know his biological father , who died suddenly before his birth . After Anthony Paonessa ' s death , Rose Villani Paonessa married Michael DeBartolo , and Edward took his stepfather ' s family name . Michael DeBartolo emigrated from Bari , Italy , with his family at age 17 and became a paving contractor and builder of warehouses and other structures . While a teenager , Edward DeBartolo began working , transcribing paving contracts for his stepfather , who did not read or write English . DeBartolo went on to earn a degree in civil engineering at the University of Notre Dame . Next came a decade of construction jobs with his stepfather . Then in view of his engineering skills , DeBartolo found himself serving in the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II . It was during the War , in 1944 , that he married Marie Patricia Montani and incorporated his own company , The Edward J . DeBartolo Corporation . Adult life and career . After the war ended , DeBartolo served as president of Michael DeBartolo Construction and as founder and president of his newly formed company . DeBartolo was able to take advantage of dramatic changes occurring across the United States after World War II . As more Americans moved into suburbs , there was a corresponding increase in demand for convenient access to stores . His first retail development was the construction of Gray ' s Drug Store and Sears , Roebuck department store in the " Uptown " area of Youngstown . DeBartolo ' s company was one of the first companies in the United States to build shopping centers in suburban communities . These shopping centers were initially plazas built as long strips , but soon DeBartolo began developing enclosed shopping malls as well , with brother Frank DeBartolo acting as architect . The Edward J . DeBartolo Corporation was the undisputed leader in the shopping mall industry from the birth of the industry until DeBartolo ' s death , owning almost one - tenth of all mall space in the United States . DeBartolo also branched out into other types of urban development and construction , such as hotel s , office parks , and condominium s . He established a work ethic of fifteen - hour days and seven - day weeks . He once told his senior executives , " My wife has never seen me lie down while the sun was up . " By 1990 , DeBartolo was estimated to have more than $ 1 . 4 billion dollars in personal wealth . A powerful strategic thinker , DeBartolo began acquiring department store chains in the late 1980s . In 1986 , he helped finance Robert Campeau ' s purchase of Allied Stores Corporation , a department store holding corporation that owned such iconic department store brands as Jordan Marsh and Mass Bros , as well as specialty stores such as Bonwit Teller and Ann Taylor . DeBartolo loaned Campeau $ 150 million to bridge the financing gap . Campeau repaid the money and in 1986 , DeBartolo assisted in financing Allied Stores Corporation ' s acquisition of Federated Department Stores , a department store holding company and the owner of Macy ' s and Bloomingdale ' s department stores . DeBartolo provided nearly $ 500 million in financing . In 1990 , Federated went bankrupt , defaulting on the repayment of the loans made by DeBartolo ; it emerged from bankruptcy after the ouster of Campeau in 1992 as a new public company under the name " Macy ' s , Inc . " During the course of the bankruptcy , DeBartolo ' s cashflow was severely impaired due to Federated ' s nonpayment as well as the real estate recession of the time . DeBartolo ' s Federated positions were all realigned when Federated emerged from bankruptcy . Also in 1988 he partnered with Dillard ' s Department Stores to buy Higbee ' s of Cleveland , Ohio . In 1992 William Dillard , founder of Dillard ' s , bought DeBartolo ' s share , except for the property interest in Higbee ' s Public Square flagship store in Cleveland ( sold to Tower City in 2001 ) , and renamed the Higbee chain . The idea of a retail real estate developer going forward with new projects easily and quickly by virtue of anchor stores owned by the developer would never become a reality . As a result of several years impaired cash flow , DeBartolo prepared to take his company public as a real estate investment trust or " REIT " . Most of DeBartolo ' s competitors were preparing to do the same , their operations suffering from a lack of capital in the private markets . In late 1993 , the two largest shopping center companies at the time , DeBartolo and Simon were coming to the market simultaneously . Their advisors informed them that the capital markets could not absorb that much equity ; either one of them must back down or prices would suffer severely . DeBartolo agreed to withdraw . In April , 1994 , most of the properties owned by The Edward J . DeBartolo Corporation were transferred to DeBartolo Realty Corporation , a public REIT , in its initial public offering . The new company was chaired by Edward J . DeBartolo , Jr . ; Edward J . DeBartolo , Sr . was unwilling to deal personally with the restraints of running a public company . In 1996 , DeBartolo Realty Corporation was acquired by Simon Property Group , the public REIT formed by DeBartolo ' s longtime competitors , Melvin and Herbert Simon . DeBartolo ' s contributions to the campus at the University of Notre Dame include DeBartolo Hall ( the main classroom building ) , DeBartolo Performing Arts Center ( DPAC ) , and DeBartolo Quad . There is also a DeBartolo Hall on the campus of Youngstown State University in his hometown of Youngstown , where the DeBartolo Corporation continues to be based in nearby Boardman , Ohio and has made many endowments to YSU . Sporting interests . DeBartolo purchased the San Francisco 49ers in 1977 , giving the team to his son . Edward J . DeBartolo , Jr . devoted significant resources to the team , became an expert in team management and player relations , and made it the most successful NFL franchise in the 1980s . DeBartolo founded the Pittsburgh Maulers of the United States Football League in March 1983 , but folded the team after the first season ( 1984 ) when the league announced it would move to a fall schedule , the same time as the NFL ' s Pittsburgh Steelers . The family also owned the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League from February 1977 until selling it to an ownership group led by Howard Baldwin in November 1991 . His team would win the Stanley Cup in 1991 . He would be engraved onto the Stanley Cup along with his daughter Denise DeBartolo York . DeBartolo said at a rally after the first win that the occasion " possibly the happiest moment of my life . " He also owned the soccer team Pittsburgh Spirit from 1978 until 1986 . While DeBartolo was unsuccessful in his attempt to purchase the Chicago White Sox in 1980 , he owned and developed three thoroughbred racetracks – Thistledown in Cleveland , Remington Park in Oklahoma City , and Louisiana Downs in Bossier City , Louisiana . Death . He died of pneumonia on December 19 , 1994 in Youngstown , Ohio at the age of 85 .