Gerald Hines’ $34.5 Million Estate Hits the Market

Gerald Hines’ $34.5 Million Estate Hits the Market

Gerald Hines' River Oaks estate / Photo by Sonya Bertolino

The estate of Gerald Hines, one of the world's most successful developers, and namesake of the University of Houston's architecture school, who passed away in August at the age of 95, has hit the market. Hines' River Oaks villa at 2920 Lazy Lane is listed for $34.5 million by Douglas Elliman Texas' Cathy Cagle and Patricia Reed.


The 4.5-acre property, situated on the famous street between Buffalo Bayou and Kirby Dr., has five bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, plus a 3,000-square-foot atrium with an enclosed pool and tennis court. The home, designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects and completed in 1992, was initially inspired by holidays spent in Tuscany. Traditional elements — inlaid floors, chandeliers, a lacquered-wood-wrapped library, marble-bedecked bathrooms — abound.

Hines' credits include the Galleria and Pennzoil Place in Houston, as well as other iconic structures the world over — like New York's oval-shaped and pinkish Lipstick Building by architect Philip Johnson, and Frank Gehry's half-traditional, half-spectacle DZ Bank building off the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Founded in 1957, Hines' private Houston-based company, known simply as Hines, has 4,820 employees worldwide and does business in 25 countries, with about $144.1 billion of assets under management. He developed or acquired well more than 1,400 projects — as close as a few blocks from this very River Oaks mansion and as far away as Beijing.

"I just like building," Hines told CityBook editor Jeff Gremillion in 2015, who was on assignment for Houston magazine at the time. "And I like great architecture. Some people have scorecards for just money, but ours is a lot more than that. It's about creating better places."

Home + Real Estate
‘Natural Passion’ Makes Fourth-Gen Houstonian Sarah Callaway Sulma a Realty Star

AS A FOURTH-generation Houstonian, Sarah Callaway Sulma has a unique and invaluable view of the city. Her deep seated connection to Houston led her down the path to becoming one the city's most well-respected, and renowned real estate agents. Sarah's natural passion for the real estate industry from a young age led her to where she is today. "I know that it sounds cheesy, but it is the truth! I wanted to be in real estate from a young age," Sarah shares. "The late-great restaurateur, Tony Vallone, put me together with real estate legend, Martha Turner, and Martha put me together with Cathy Cagle. The rest is history-13 years of success and counting!" Now with over 13 years in real estate and $55M+ in residential real estate sales, Sarah brings a rare combination of knowledge, skill, and advocacy to each one of her clients.

Keep Reading Show less

Decadent pasta and wine awaits at Milton's.

IT WAS LOVE at first bite of the tender, housemade pasta — think mushrooms, garlic and hints of lemon and white wine — at the preview party of new Milton’s in Rice Village, which officially bows Sept. 27.

Keep Reading Show less
Food

A detail of one of Conley's new metal sculptures

IT’S BEEN A while (2017 to be exact) since we featured Houston metal sculptor Tara Conley in our inaugural A Day in the Life of the Arts photo essay. That image of Conley in her Montrose studio, dressed in jeans, a long-sleeve flannel shirt, and a welders mask, holding a blow torch and staring down the camera while crouched behind one of her elegant steel sculptures, certainly conveyed the “work” that goes into being a “working artist.”

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment