HOUSTON – (Realty News Report) – The River Oaks estate of the late Gerald D. Hines, the visionary developer behind Houston’s Galleria and numerous international skyscrapers, is now on the market for $34.5 million.
Hines, who transformed commercial development by collaborating with world-class architects to prioritize exceptional design, passed away last year at age 95.
For his personal residence, Hines commissioned New York–based Robert A.M. Stern Architects to create the 17,000-square-foot estate, completed in 1992. The design evokes an Italian-style villa inspired by Hines’s travels in Tuscany, combining classical proportions with contemporary amenities.
Set on a sprawling 4.5-acre parcel between Buffalo Bayou and Kirby Drive, and within walking distance of the exclusive River Oaks Country Club, the property features five bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. Highlights include a 3,000-square-foot atrium housing an enclosed pool, a full-size tennis court and meticulously landscaped grounds.
The residence at 2920 Lazy Lane Blvd. is listed by Douglas Elliman Texas associates Cathy Cagle and Patricia Reed.
Hines was a self-made entrepreneur who arrived in Houston in the 1940s with an engineering degree from Purdue University and a slide rule in hand. In his early years in the city he lived at the YMCA while launching his career.
He founded Hines in 1957. Some of the company’s earliest projects were mid-rise and low-rise office buildings along Richmond Avenue, only a short distance from the River Oaks home now for sale.
Over decades, Hines grew into a global developer with more than 900 projects worldwide, including 100 buildings taller than 25 stories and the tallest office towers in several U.S. states and abroad. The firm expanded its presence with major regional offices in New York, San Francisco, Atlanta and Chicago. In 1990, Hines passed daily operations to his son Jeff and later based himself in London from 1996 to 2010, further expanding into Western and Eastern Europe and entering Asia in the mid-1990s.
Notable Hines developments include 53rd at Third (the Lipstick Building) in New York; 101 California in San Francisco; One Ninety One Peachtree in Atlanta; Three First National Plaza in Chicago; Five Hundred Boylston in Boston; DZ Bank in Berlin; Porta Nuova in Milan; and the EDF Tower in Paris.
In Houston, Hines and his firm are responsible for several landmark buildings, such as One Shell Plaza; The Galleria; Pennzoil Place; Bank of America Plaza; Williams Tower (still referred to by some as Transco Tower); and the 75-story JPMorgan Chase & Co. Tower, the tallest building in Texas.
The Hines organization continues to develop significant projects worldwide, including a 47-story office tower and a 46-story apartment building planned for downtown Houston, alongside more than 160 developments currently underway around the globe.
March 10, 2021 Realty News Report Copyright 2021
File: Gerald Hines Estate Home in River Oaks For Sale at $34.5 Million
Caption: Hines villa in River Oaks. Photo by DroneHub Media.