ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Tom Cousins, the longtime real estate developer who transformed Atlanta’s skyline, sports teams and philanthropy scene, died at 93 on Tuesday.
Cousins founded Cousins Properties in 1958, a company that would go on to develop Atlanta staples like the CNN Center, the Pinnacle building in Buckhead, part of the Georgia World Congress Center and more. He also brought the Hawks from St. Louis to Atlanta in 1968 and built the Omni Coliseum, the Hawks’ home for decades.
Cousins also brought the National Hockey League to Atlanta when the Flames became the league’s first deep South-based team in 1972. The team also played at the Omni from 1972 to 1979, when Cousins sold the team to Calgary, Alberta, businessman Nelson Skalbania.
But even more than his business accomplishments, Cousins is remembered for his giving spirit. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said Cousins’ values helped shape modern Atlanta.
“A man of deep faith who loved his family, his legacy will live on as a guidepost for what leadership can and should be in Atlanta,” he said.
In the wake of Cousins’ death, multiple organizations he worked with are mourning his passing. In a statement, the Atlanta Hawks called Cousins a “transformative leader.”
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Tom Cousins, a visionary builder of communities, unmatched philanthropist, and a former Hawks owner who had an enduring impact on the city’s sports landscape and the geographic footprint that now makes up our thriving Downtown Atlanta region,” the team said.
Cousins also founded the East Lake Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing Atlanta’s East Lake neighborhood. That led to him purchasing and renovating the East Lake Golf Club, the then-declining golf course of amateur golf legend Bobby Jones.
Today, the golf club hosts the PGA TOUR Championship.
“Mr. Cousins was a visionary and a man who had the unique ability to imagine what something could become and then make it happen,” PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement. “…We will miss Tom greatly and will cherish the memories we have of him.”
Egbert L.J. Perry, CEO and chairman of The Integral Group, a real estate developer, said Cousins “was one of the most influential real estate developers of his generation.”
“His contributions to Atlanta’s growth are widely known, but his legacy also reflects a willingness to embrace new ideas and use his platform to advance them,” Perry said.
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