Above: Tibor Hollo – architect, president and founder of Florida East Coast Realty – pictured in his headquarters in downtown Miami. He told the Miami Herald in 2016: “I recognized in the late ’60s that there would be re-immigration to the heart of the city. »
cjuste@miamiherald.com
Real estate pioneer Tibor Hollo, who transformed a once-neglected downtown Miami into high-rise hotels, condos and office buildings, died Wednesday. He was 96 years old.
Hollo was chairman and president of the Brickell-based development company Florida East Coast Realty, which he started in 1972. His buildings changed the skyline of Edgewater and downtown Miami at a time when some were rehabilitating question the future of the region.
Hollo’s roots trace back to Budapest, where he was born in 1927. At the age of 6, Hollo’s parents moved to Paris, where seven years later the city fell to the control of Nazi Germany. Hollo and her parents were taken to a Auschwitz concentration camp in 1941. Hollo and her father survived, but neither of them saw Hollo’s mother again. Throughout his life and into his 90s, Hollo shared his experience of the Holocaust.
A force in South Florida
Real estate development eventually brought Hollo to the United States, where he began building in New York.
He eventually moved to South Florida. He has built in Miami-Dade County – from Coral Gables to Miami Beach – as well as Palm Beach County and Las Vegas.
Bbut he made his greatest mark in downtown Miami, a mark that put his company on the map.
“He truly was, in some ways, a genius. He saw things before anyone did them and did things before anyone could do them. He always acted with determination and never looked back,” said his friend Ezra Katz, CEO and founder of Coconut Grove-based real estate finance company Aztec Group. “When people said, ‘You can’t do it,’ he never listened.”
“The Hollo family is mourning the loss of Tibor Hollo and would appreciate their privacy at this time,” a family spokesperson said in a statement.
Building in the urban core of Miami
Hello, I bet from the start Edgewater and the Arts and Entertainment District, formerly known as the Omni District. His developments in these neighborhoods include The Grand, the adjacent and now-shuttered Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay. Omni International Mall. In Miami Beach, Florida, East Coast Realty owned the Miami Beach gem, the Eden Roc Hotel, for a decade before selling it in 1990.
Yet of all his projects, Hollo is perhaps best known for constructing Miami’s tallest building.
At 867 feetthe residential and office Panorama Tower flies over Brickell, followed by Aston Martin Residences at 817 feet. Panorama Tower faced several obstacles after construction began and quickly shut down during the Great Recession under another developer. Florida East Coast Realty took over and resumed construction in 2014, and the 85-story building debuted in 2018.
“Panorama was about 80 years old,” Katz said, noting Hollo’s age at the time. “Everyone said, ‘No one could do that,’ and he said, ‘Look at me.’ He said, I’ll finish it.’
Developers quickly followed Hollo’s path, including the Kings of Edgewater Mélo Group and the distinguished associated group. Together, these developers and others like Ugo Colombo built a new urban core and skyline.
“The privilege of knowing Tibor Hollo for over 40 years and benefiting from his wise advice will always be present in my mind. Tibor was a visionary and a true leader in shaping Miami’s landscape. A very astute and competent businessman – he has always been fair in our dealings and thoughtful in his comments,” said Adolfo Henríquez, vice president of Related Group. “My thoughts and prayers are with his wonderful wife, Sheila, and his children and grandchildren. Tibor left an indelible legacy in Miami and in the lives of many of us.
Giving back to Miami
Hollo married his first wife, Doris, in 1950. After a divorce, he married Sheila in 1967. Hollo raised six children.
Work bonded the Hollo family. Sons Jerome and Wayne lead the company as co-CEOs and grandson Austin oversees the company as COO.
Philanthropy was also important to the family. Tibor and Sheila Hollo have donated to many causes, including the real estate department at Florida International University. Thanks to a Endowment of $2.5 million in 2012, the university opened a real estate-focused campus in Brickell. The department was renamed the Tibor & Sheila Hollo School of Real Estate.
While juggling family, work and philanthropy, Hollo made time for close friends, including Katz. Hollo and Katz go back to 1980, each exchanging stories about the Holocaust, with Hollo’s first-hand experiences and Katz recounting those of his parents. For Katz, there was always something to learn from his friend, a friend who “loved to share stories” and could do so in several languages, including his native Hungarian, French, Russian, Yiddish or English.
“He was a survivor in many aspects of his life,” Katz said, emphasizing Hollo’s determination. “I thought he was like that when he was young. You could see his determination every day. He knew what he was doing. He did it his way. …
He was a huge human being. This community will miss him and I don’t think we’ll see anyone like him again.
Services and Survivors
Hollo is survived by his wife, Sheila, four children and several grandchildren.
Hollo’s funeral was held Friday at Temple Emanu-El in Miami Beach. He was buried at Lakeside Memorial Park and Funeral Home in Doral.
This story was originally published May 3, 2024, 4:52 p.m.
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