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Revision as of 00:20, 21 December 2015
Harry John Hyams (2 January 1928 – 19 December 2015) was a British millionaire who made his money as a speculative property (real estate) developer. He was best known as the developer of the Centre Point office building in London. He was considered to be reclusive, and was the long-term owner and resident of Ramsbury Manor, near Marlborough, Wiltshire.
Early life
Hyams was born in Hendon, Middlesex. His father was a bookmaker and after private schooling he joined a firm of estate agents, then switched to property development.[1]
Hyams’ approach to property development
Hyams made much of his fortune developing office space in London at a time in the 1960s and 1970s when rents there were rising significantly. He preferred to find single, blue-chip tenants for his properties, having them fully repair and insure the buildings they occupied, as is common with commercial property in the UK.[2] This approach enabled Hyams to manage a valuable and sizable property business with a staff of just six. It was also used by Hyams as justification for keeping his Centre Point development empty for years after completion – he claimed he could find no tenant willing to lease all 202,000 sq ft (18,800 m2) of space.[3]
Praise and controversy
Hyams met with both praise and controversy for his approach. Property developer Sir Stuart Lipton called him “the first man to recognise the importance of skilled planning and development”. But Hyams and his building Centre Point became a focus for protest against what some saw as the greed of profit-driven developers.
Private life
In 1954 he married Kathleen Therese in Chelsea, London.[4] She died 1 February 2011 at the age of 91.[5] On 19 December 2015, Hyams died at the age of 87.[6]
In 2008 a raid at Ramsbury Manor by the Johnson Gang was described as the biggest ever private burglary in England.[7]
References
- ^ Harry Hyams Obituary at The Guardian, Business. Retrieved 20 December 2015
- ^ [1] [dead link]
- ^ "Harry's Sore Point". Time.com. 24 July 1972. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
- ^ Tanz, Meryl. "HYAMS Kathleen Therese (KAY) : Memorial : Newbury Weekly News". Nwnannouncements.co.uk. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- ^ "Kathleen Hyams (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)". Gazetteandherald.co.uk. 1 February 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/12060129/Property-developer-Harry-Hyams-has-died-aged-87.html
- ^ "Five jailed for biggest burglary - BBC News". 6 August 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2008.