Harry G. Silverstein was a Russian immigrant and father of Larry Silverstein. A trained classical pianist, he became a commercial real estate broker in New York. He was part of a Jewish family and founded the real estate firm Harry G. Silverstein & Sons in 1957 in partnership with his son Larry Silverstein and brother-in-law Bernard H. Mendik. The company, later rebranded as Silverstein Properties, acquired its first property, an industrial loft building in Manhattan's East Side. He served as president of the firm, which was headquartered at 801 Second Avenue in New York City, and was a founder and former president of the Association of Real Estate Syndicators. Silverstein passed away in 1966, after which his son Larry and Mendik continued operating the business.