Chase Family collection

David Chase, born David Cielsa in 1929 in Kielce, Poland, was a Holocaust survivor of the Auschwitz, Sachsenhausen, and Mauthsen camps. After the war, in 1946, he came to Hartford where he graduated from Weaver High School. His earliest work included car maintenance and selling house wares from door to door. David Chase attended Hilliard College (later part of the University of Hartford) and the University of Connecticut, and started law school but entered the business world before earning a degree. His first venture was home improvement business that grew into commercial building development and finally shopping center development by the mid 1950s.

In the ensuing years, Chase built a wide-ranging business conglomerate based primarily on real estate development and communications. Today, Chase is known not only for his business acumen, but for his philanthropy. His interests include education, arts, and religion. He is a strong supporter of both the State of Israel and traditional Orthodox institutions.

David Chase’s wife Rhoda was born in New Britain, the daughter of Polish immigrants. Their daughter Cheryl Chase Freedman serves in the family firm as General Council.

Chase's son Arnold serves in the family firm as ****. His love for inventing and electronics led him to design several major displays, such as a haunted house and the Winter Wonderland, for use as fundraisers for Hartford-area charities. He also assembled a large collection of antique radios and televisions that he gave to a museum in New York City.