HOUSTON – (By Ralph Bivins, Realty News Report) – Happy Birthday to master developer Gerald D. Hines, who will turn 93 years old this week.
Houstonians are lucky he arrived in Houston seven decades ago. Armed with a slide rule and an engineering degree from Purdue, he had the perfect skill set for being a world-class developer, even if it wasn’t apparent at first. As a newcomer to town, he started off living in the local YMCA, paying a $5 per night rental rate.
Mr. Hines founded his company in Houston in 1957 and it’s now one of the biggest real estate development firms in the world with a presence in 201 cities in 24 countries. The company has 108 developments underway around the world currently, adding to a 422 million square-foot track record.
Mr. Hines’ buildings have shaped the downtown skyline of Houston and he has left his market of scores of cities around the world. Along the way Hines created The Galleria – that multi-level mixed-use masterpiece with an ice-skating rink at its core – and Williams (nee Transco) Tower, the WaterWall. In downtown Houston there was Hines breakthrough project – One Shell Plaza – and a long series of trend-setting towers – Pennzoil Place, Republic Bank Center and 609 Main @ Texas, to name a few.
In recent years, the company has been delving into multifamily, including the new Aris Market Square high-rise apartment tower in downtown.
Now the firm, with Mr. Hines’ son Jeff Hines as president and chief executive officer, is preparing to building a new 1 million SF office tower in downtown on the former site of the Houston Chronicle building at 801 Texas Avenue. It’s surrounded by Hines properties. Hines built the 75-story Chase Tower across the street from the Chronicle and the 717 Texas building next door. And to ice the cake, the Hines organization is going to move its own headquarters downtown into the new building upon completion in 2021.
Gerald Hines has done a lot to build the city and contribute to its architecture, its growth and economy. Rarely does one man make such a difference to a city. Happy Birthday, Mr. Hines!
Aug. 13, 2018 Realty News Report Copyright 2018