Real estate magnate Gerald D. Hines, the developer behind many of America's most iconic skyscrapers from the late-20th century, has passed away at age 95.

Hines is perhaps best known as the backer for many of downtown Houston's skyline-altering developments, including SOM's One Shell Plaza, Johnson Burgee's Penzoil Place, and I. M. Pei & Partners's JP Morgan Chase towers, among many others. His projects can be found all over the world, including in New York City, San Francisco, China, Spain, and other locales. Hines's work with the Johnson Burgee firm, however, stands out the most, with many of the firm's most well-known projects coming out of their work for Hines. 

Characterized by Paul Goldberger as the "un-Trump" in a 2015 interview with The Houston Chronicle, Hines is remembered as a detail-oriented developer who, by some accounts, helped launch the contemporary idea of the "starchitect" who brings added value to speculative commercial real estate development via strong conceptual designs, attention to detail, and formal innovation. 

In the 2015 interview, Goldberger explains that “If Donald Trump is one extreme, Gerry Hines is all the way at the other end,” adding, “He’s quite reasonable, thoughtful, understated and unpretentious. He’s sort of the un-Trump.” This reputation extended to Hines's relationships with architects and to extensive philanthropic work he undertook, including toward the University of Houston, where the Gerald D. Hines School of Architecture has borne his name since 1997. 

The Hines School of Architecture had initially planned a celebration honoring its 75th anniversary this year, but the event had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to school Dean Patricia Belton Oliver, it is being pushed to next year and will be dedicated in honor of Hines.