|
|
<< back to press releases
Trammell Crow 1914-2009
Trammell Crow, founder of the Trammell Crow Company and the Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Release: Immediate
Contact: Esther Wu |214-271-4484 | ewu@crowcollection.org
Photos: stock photos upon request
Trammell Crow, founder of the Trammell Crow Company and the Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art died January 14, 2009. He was 94.
Mr. Crow was the son of a poor bookkeeper who became the world’s biggest commercial real estate developer. He is credited with transforming the Dallas landscape with his skyscrapers and warehouses. He was also a visionary who helped pave the way for the Dallas Arts District.
"Trammell Crow left an indelible footprint on the Dallas Arts District," said Amy Hofland, Director of The Crow Collection. "His love of the East and its art flowed from his core, and we are so honored that he gave the community a chance to share in and experience that."
Mr. Crow was a renowned collector of Asian Art. He and his wife, Margaret, began acquiring art after visiting China in the 1970s.
Mrs. Crow said that Chinese art always fascinated her husband, especially jade. "I cannot say why it is," Mr. Crow once said, pointing to his heart, "but these objects move me."
In hopes of sharing their passion and appreciation for Asian arts and culture, the couple founded the Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art, a set of permanent galleries dedicated to treasures from China, Japan, India and Southeast Asia.
The Crow Collection of Asian Art is the only museum in the Southwest dedicated solely to the arts of Asia.
Mr. Crow was also a dynamic businessman. Beginning with a single warehouse in Dallas in 1948, Trammell Crow would eventually create one of the largest and most successful commercial real estate companies in the United States. His property developments helped reshape the skyline of Dallas as well as Atlanta, San Francisco, and dozens of other U.S. cities that came of age in the post-World War II building boom. Along the way, he pioneered the use of the atrium; a concept used in many of today's most prominent office structures and hotels, and, through his unique use of real estate partnerships, helped make more of his partners wealthier than anyone else in the history of American real estate.
The third of seven children born to Jefferson Brim and Mary Simonton Crow, Trammell Crow graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1932. During the Great Depression he cleaned bricks at a construction site, worked in a grocery store and cleaned and delivered chickens. His first big professional break was being hired as a “runner” or courier for the Mercantile Bank.
After attending evening classes at Southern Methodist University, Mr. Crow became a certified public accountant and joined the firm of Ernst & Ernst. He served as Commander in the United States Navy and after World War II; Mr. Crow founded the Trammell Crow Company. He also established the Dallas Market Center, the Brussels International Trade Mart and was a partner in developing the Trade Mart in Atlanta. Mr. Crow also developed the Anatole Hotel in Dallas and was founder of the Wyndham Hotel Chain.
Trammell Crow was a devoted husband, father and grandfather, a friend and confidant of U.S. presidents from Richard Nixon to George Bush. He was just as home talking to laborers on a construction site as he was discussing politics with world leaders at state dinners. He was admired by both.
Mr. Crow is survived by his wife, Margaret, their six children, Robert Crow, Howard Crow, Harlan Crow, Trammell S. Crow, Lucy Billingsley, Stuart Crow, 16 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
<< back to press releases
|
