John Kilroy of Kilroy Realty dies at 94

John Kilroy Sr. and his sail boat (Credit: Scuttlebutt Sailing News)
John Kilroy Sr. and his sail boat (Credit: Scuttlebutt Sailing News)

John Kilroy, who kicked off his career with only $100 in his pocket and turned it into $6 billion real estate behemoth Kilroy Realty, died Thursday. He was 94.

His firm is now one of the biggest on the West Coast with a 13.7 million-square-foot portfolio in Southern California, the Bay Area and Seattle, the L.A. Times reported.

Kilroy died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from complications of aging, his foundation announced.

One of Kilroy’s signature business strategies was to build near major airports to accommodate America’s emerging jet-setting culture, John Cushman, the former chairman of Cushman & Wakefield, told the Times. In L.A., his company’s properties include the massive Columbia Square redevelopment, Sunset Media Center and the six-structure Academy project in Hollywood.

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His son, John Kilroy Jr., has been the company’s CEO since 1981.

The late Kilroy, who was born in Ruby, Alaska, was also an avid sailor and former yachting champion. He won the lifetime achievement award from the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2014.

He is survived by his wife, eight children, 17 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren. [LAT]Cathaleen Chen