Résumé

Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Corps of Engineers, Fort Lewis, WA, 1943-1946.

Engineer, American Blower Corporation, Detroit, MI, c. 1948- . This corporation offered Hines the choice of four offices to join. Hines selected the office in hot, humid Houston, TX, as being the best market for the company's air-conditioning equipment. (See Hines.com, "Gerald D. Hines 1925-2020: Our Founder's Story," accessed 01/13/2021.)

Partner, Texas Engineering Company, Houston, TX, -1957. At the Texas Engineering Company Hines learned about the complexities of HVAC and building infrastructure design. This deep knowledge of a building's mechanicals came in very handy when he decided to become a high-rise building developer.

Founder, Hines Interests Limited Partnership, Houston, TX, 1957-present. In his early years in Houston, Hines originally focused on being an engineer, forming an engineering firm; at the same time, he also dabbled in real estate development. This sidelight in development would become his career focus by 1957. His firm's web site said of his early independent career as a developer: "The early 1960s were marked by the development of 12 mid-century-inspired office projects completed on Richmond Avenue in Houston, some of which still stand today. Hines’ reputation grew with his first two high-profile projects: downtown Houston’s One Shell Plaza, the tallest building in Texas when completed in 1971 and still the world’s tallest lightweight concrete structure; and The Galleria, the landmark shopping center that catalyzed Houston’s booming Uptown district." (See Hines.com, "Gerald D. Hines 1925-2020: Our Founder's Story," accessed 01/13/2021.) Hines hired the celebrated architect Gyo Obata (born 02/28/1923 in San Francisco, CA) of the Saint Louis architectural firm, Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum (HOK), to design the mixed-use Galleria, starting his firm's trend for working with top-notch architects and engineers.

His early career focused on high-rise construction in oil-rich Houston, but the firm rapidly became national and international in scope. A tribute to Hines published on his firm's web site said of one of his achievements: "Most notable was Hines’ belief that memorable design by prominent architects could garner commercial success. This prevailing tenet revolutionized the building industry as well as the quality of commercial building stock in major U.S. cities, and reshaped skylines around the world. Throughout his career, Hines teamed with such renowned architects as: Lord Norman Foster; Bruce Graham and David M. Childs of SOM; Gyo Obata; Philip Johnson and John Burgee (15 projects total); I.M. Pei and Harry N. Cobb; Cesar Pelli; Kevin Roche; Robert A.M. Stern; A. Eugene Kohn and William E. Pedersen; Charles W. Moore; Frank O. Gehry; Jon Pickard; and Jean Nouvel, among others. The Hines firm has developed more than 907 projects around the world, including 100 buildings over 25 stories, and the tallest office towers in Texas, Kentucky, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Italy." (See Hines.com, "Esteemed Real Estate Legend, Gerald D. Hines, Dies at Age 95," published 08/24/2020, accessed 01/13/2021.)

Professional Activities

Hines made a large contribution to the University of Houston College of Architecture. His endowment was recognized when the school was renamed the "Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture at the University of Houston." In 1997, Hines made a "leadership gift" of $7 million to the College of Architecture at UH, prompting the school to rename itself in his honor. Hines made two large subsequent gifts, one in "...2014 of $1 million to support student international scholarships and international programming," and another $1 million gift in 2017 "...to support construction of a new Advanced Media Technology Laboratory at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design." (See University of Houston.edu, "Gerald and Barbara Hines Donate $1 Million to Build Advanced Media Technology Lab," published 12/13/2017, accessed 01/13/2021.)

Professional Awards

Recipient, American Academy of Achievement, Golden Plate Award, Washington, DC, 1979.

Recipient, Visioneer Award, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Center for Real Estate, Cambridge, MA, 03/2005.

College

B. Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 1948.

Relocation

Gerald Douglas Hines was born in the industrial city of Gary, Indiana, in 1925, his parents having relocated from Nova Scotia.

He moved to Houston, TX, during the late 1940s. He first resided in the city's main YMCA during his early years, along with fraternity brothers from Purdue. (See Hines.com, "Gerald D. Hines 1925-2020: Our Founder's Story," accessed 01/13/2021.)

After attending college at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN, Hines moved to the oil town of Houston, TX, in 1948.

Between 1996 and 2010, Hines lived in London, England, where he expanded the firm’s interests in Europe.

Parents

His parents were Gordon Hines and Myrte McConnell.

Spouse

Gerald D. Hines married twice. He first wed Dorothy Schwarz (d. 2017) in 1952. They divorced in 1980.

He wed artist Barbara Fritzsche in 1981.

Visioneer Awards were presented, one to the Walt Disney Co. for "its visioneering contributions to the real estate industry" and another to Hines, an international development firm, and its founder, Gerald D. Hines,

In 2007, Hines owned houses in Houston and London, UK, and maintained the latter as his primary residence.

• Gary, IN (Architect's Birth)
  Gary, IN

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