Second generation

Max joined his father’s business in 1924. From 1924-1925, in the vicinity of Martin’s Mill Road and Oakley Street, the father-and-son team built their first community development that included homes, apartment and stores.

When the younger son, Sam, joined the business in 1928, there was even more development with larger twin-style homes and singlefamily homes for a new middle class of shopkeepers, factory workers, teachers, city workers and professionals, who were buying their homes in an expanding Philadelphia.

In 1933, Hyman incorporated his business with his sons into Hyman Korman Inc. Between 1929 and 1934, the company built more than 500 homes. At that time, this was a very sizeable percentage of the total homes built in all of Philadelphia. 

Prior to 1935, Hyman Korman Inc. specialized in single or twin homes, but in the decade that followed, Hyman and his sons branched out. They made their first attempt at a new form of housing – the row home. More than 6,000 row homes were built in the Castor Avenue district alone. The Castor Avenue development was a major expansion of the Korman’s innovation of the planned community, which included homes, apartments, stores and dedicated space for banks, a post office and libraries.

HKI also built its first apartment development, Leiper Street Apartments in 1938. Others soon followed at Oxford Court and Jefferson Court. This type of development became a prototype of what is now known as the garden-court apartments in Philadelphia. We also see in 1940, the start of the company’s first apartment complex, Apartment Center, which was fully completed in 1955. 

HKI continued to grow as a major developer of planned communities in Philadelphia and the suburbs, constructing single and twin homes, apartments, stores and shopping centers. 1960 and 1961 were two of the most active years in the company’s history.

In 1960, they completed Green Ridge Farms, luxury single homes at Pine and County Line roads. It was recognized as a model suburban community. They also completed Brentwood Park in Bustleton. More than 600 homes in both developments took place. They also completed final plans for Parkwood Manor, the largest development ever started in Philadelphia by a single homebuilder. The following year, HKI astounded real estate brokers, builders, planners, bankers and the public, with more than 800 homes started in the ambitious new development.