Tibor Hollo, real estate pioneer in downtown Miami and Edgewater, dies at 96

Real estate pioneer Tibor Hollo, who transformed a once-neglected downtown Miami with high-rise hotels, condos and office buildings, died on Wednesday. He was 96.

Hollo was the chairman and president of the Brickell-based development firm Florida East Coast Realty, which he established in 1972. His buildings changed the Edgewater and downtown Miami skylines at a time when some questioned the area’s future.

Hollo’s roots go back to Budapest where he was born in 1927. At age 6, Hollo’s parents moved to Paris where seven years later the city fell under Nazi Germany’s control. Hollo and his parents were taken to a concentration camp in 1941. Hollo and his father survived, but neither of them saw Hollo’s mother again.

Real estate development eventually brought Hollo to the United States where he set out to build in New York City.

Years later, he moved to South Florida.

A spokesperson for the family provided the Miami Herald with the following statement: “The Hollo family is grieving the loss of Tibor Hollo and would appreciate their privacy at this time.”

This breaking news story will be updated.