Wylie Fay Leon Tuttle[1] (died April 5, 2002) was an American real estate developer who was behind the construction of the Tour Montparnasse, the tallest building in Europe upon its completion in 1972.[2][3]
Wylie Tuttle | |
|---|---|
| Born | Waylie Fay Leon Tuttle |
| Died | April 5, 2002 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Columbia University (BA) |
| Occupation | real estate developer |
| Known for | developing Tour Montparnasse |
Biography
editA native New Yorker, Tuttle (born in 1923) graduated from Columbia College in 1944.[4] He was a member of the Delta Phi fraternity and rowed for the varsity crew team.[5][6] He was a Navy pilot in the Pacific theater during World War II. After the war, he joined the real estate firm known then as Brown, Wheelock, Harris & Stevens in New York. He then founded Collins-Tuttle with Arthur Collins in 1954.[7] He served as president of the company until he died.[2]
Tuttle seized the opportunity that arose out of Paris' growing need for urban development and decided to use American building expertise to help construct a modern landmark, stating at the time that "Paris needs a skyscraper and the competition here isn't as strong."[8] Tuttle and his associate, Herbert Papock, eventually enlisted a consortium of 17 French insurance companies and seven banks in the $140-million multiple-building project that became known as the Tour Montparnasse.[2][9] The financing was led by French industrialist Jean-Claude Aaron.[10][11][12]
After the complex was finished, Tuttle turned over the management to his French partners.[2] After his initial success in France, he continued his real estate ventures across the United States, and was also a founder and the first president of the Young Men's Real Estate Association.[2]
Tuttle maintained a residence at Rock Hall, Maryland, that was designed by the architect Paul Rudolph in 1984 and built in 1986.[13][14] He died on April 5, 2002, at his home at age 79.[4] His daughter, Alexandra Tuttle, correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, was killed on September 22, 1993, when the military plane on which she was flying was hit by an Abkhazian ground-to-air missile. She was on her way to Georgia, where she was covering the Civil War after the collapse of the Soviet Union.[15]
References
edit- ^ "Wylie Fay Leon Tuttle (Jr.) Obituary". freepages.rootsweb.com. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
- ^ a b c d e Pace, Eric (2002-04-06). "Wylie F. L. Tuttle, 79, Force Behind Paris Tower". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
- ^ "Montparnasse Tower - Parisian Skyscraper". e-architect. 2010-03-04. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
- ^ a b "Columbia College Today". www.college.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
- ^ "Columbia Spectator 20 December 1940 — Columbia Spectator". spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
- ^ "Columbia Spectator 10 March 1941 — Columbia Spectator". spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
- ^ "Arthur Collins Sr". Greenwich Time. September 6, 2005. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ Aftandilian, Ara (August 1987). "THE IMPLEMENTATION OF FOREIGN REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES: A CASE STUDY OF CANARY WHARF, LONDON" (PDF). Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ Marlowe, Lara. "Tour Montparnasse contaminated with asbestos". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
- ^ "Jean-Claude Aaron, promoteur et homme d'affaires". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2006-12-14. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
- ^ "Bienvenue sur le site de Sefri-Cime". www.sefricime.fr. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
- ^ Binder, Georges (2006). Tall Buildings of Europe, Middle East & Africa. Victoria, Australia: Images Publishing. p. 168. ISBN 1876907819.
- ^ "[View of corner of the completed Wylie Tuttle Residence, showing part of the walkway, 6360 Swan Creek Road, Rock Hall, Maryland]". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
- ^ "Tuttle Residence". Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
- ^ Perrone, Vinnie (July 15, 1994). "SMART ALEC EASES HEAVY BURDEN". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 30, 2021.