Trammell Crow Dies At 94

DALLAS-Trammell Crow, the man who helped build the skyline of Dallas and other cities around the nations died last night at his East Texas farm. He was 94 years old.

Crow, who launched his career in 1948 with an 11,250-square-foot warehouse near downtown Dallas, leaves behind an outstanding legacy of real estate development, property management, business leadership and community endeavors.

In addition to developing and managing millions of square feet of commercial real estate worldwide under the Trammell Crow brand, Crow founded and headed the Wyndham Hotel Co., which developed first-class hotels around the country. Both Trammell Crow Co. and Wyndham Hotel Co. went public on the New York Stock Exchange in the late 1990s.

Trammell Crow Co. merged with Los Angeles-based CB Richard Ellis in late 2006, but still continues projects under the Trammell Crow name. Wyndham was acquired by Cendant Corp., an affiliate of the New York City Blackstone Group in 2005 and taken private, though the Wyndham Worldwide brand is still active.

Outside of his prolific career, Crow was a community philanthropist. Among his many community endeavors are the National Tree Trust, a non-profit organization providing grants to support organizations dedicated to local tree planting and education projects throughout the U.S.

Crow’s activities generated kudos from many organizations as well. Fortune Magazine named him to the U.S. Business Hall of Fame. Crow has also been recognized in the Congressional Record as the largest developer in the United States and honored as representing “the best of business leadership” in the nation.

Crow is survived by his wife of 66 years, Margaret and their six children Robert Crow, Howard Crow, Harlan Crow, Trammell S. Crow, Lucy Billingsley and Stuart Crow; as well as by 16 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Funeral arrangements are pending.