ATLANTA, GA — According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Tom Cousins, the real estate tycoon who helped shaped the Atlanta skyline, has passed away at 93.

Thomas Grady Cousins (born December 7, 1931) is an American real estate developer, sports supporter and philanthropist. Cousins was a leader in shaping the skyline in Atlanta, and he purchased St. Louis Hawks and moved the NBA team to the city. For a time, he also owned the Atlanta Flames of the NHL.

Cousins is also known for his community redevelopment and his desire to help local neighborhoods. In 1995, he purchased the historic East Lake Golf Club with the intent that its profits would go back to help the local East Lake community. Based on the results of the East Lake Foundation project, Cousin’s model of community redevelopment is now being implemented in cities all over the country through a program he founded to replicate the East Lake model called Purpose Built Communities. It was founded by Cousins and fellow philanthropists Warren Buffett and Julian Robertson.

He was instrumental in bringing the annual PGA Tour Championship tournament to the restored East Lake Golf Club.

Cousins graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in 1952 from the Terry College of Business at The University of Georgia in Athens. He and his father started their real-estate company in 1958. During the 1960s, Tom Cousins moved from real-estate to property development and sports franchising.

He developed buildings such as the CNN Center, the Omni Coliseum, 191 Peachtree Tower, the Bank of America Plaza (tallest building in Atlanta and the Southeast), the Pinnacle Building in Buckhead and the first phase of the Georgia World Congress Center. He and competitor John Portman completely remade downtown Atlanta in the 1970s and 1980s.