Cindy Pritzker
American philanthropist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marian "Cindy" Pritzker (née Friend; December 15, 1923 – March 15, 2025) was an American philanthropist. She headed the Chicago Public Library board and co-founded the Pritzker Architecture Prize. As the wife of Jay Pritzker, the co-founder of Hyatt Hotels, she was the matriarch of the Pritzker family.
December 15, 1923
Cindy Pritzker | |
|---|---|
| Born | Marian Friend December 15, 1923 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | March 15, 2025 (aged 101) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Education | Grinnell College |
| Occupation | Philanthropist |
| Spouse | Jay Pritzker |
| Children | 5 (including Thomas, John, Daniel, Gigi) |
| Parent(s) | Hugo Friend (father) Sadie Cohn (mother) |
Early life, family, and education
Pritzker was born on December 15, 1923 to Judge Hugo Friend, a Cook County circuit judge, and Sadie Cohn Friend.[1] She grew up in Kenwood on the South Side of Chicago and attended Hyde Park High School.[2] She graduated from Grinnell College in Iowa.[1]
Philanthropy
In 1984, Pritzker was appointed to the Chicago Public Library Board by Mayor Harold Washington.[1] She served as the board's president and led an effort to build the Harold Washington Library Center, which opened in 1991.[1] Pritzker was also the founding chairwoman of the Chicago Public Library Foundation.[1]
Together with her husband, she co-founded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1979.[1] Following her husband's death in 1999, she commissioned the architect Frank Gehry to design the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park.[2]
In 1996, she and her husband received the National Building Museum's Honor Award.[3]
Personal life
She married billionaire businessman Jay Pritzker, a founder of Hyatt, on August 31, 1947, and had five children, including Thomas Pritzker, John Pritzker, Daniel Pritzker, and Gigi Pritzker.[1][4] She and her husband met as teenagers while vacationing at their families' lake houses in Eagle River, Wisconsin.[1] Her husband died in 1999.[5]
Pritzker was the aunt of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, whom she raised following the death of his father, Donald.[2]
She died on March 15, 2025, at the age of 101, and was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie.[6]
Legacy
Cindy's Rooftop on Michigan Avenue is named after her.[7] Pritzker Park on State Street was also named for her.[8]