Edward Linde, who used his real estate fortune as co-founder of one of the nation?s most prominent property owners to become a major supporter of the arts in Boston, died Sunday as a result of complications from pneumonia. He was 68, and had been suffering from cancer.
Mr. Linde was chief executive of Boston Properties, which owned the Prudential Tower and center in Back Bay and built notable additions to the city?s skyline, as well as the burgeoning Kendall Square district in Cambridge.
linde.jpgHe was chairman of the board of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and a major benefactor to the Museum of Fine Arts, which named its west wing after him, his wife Joyce and the Linde family in recognition of the more than $25 million they donated to the museum. He was also a director of Jobs for Massachusetts, WGBH, and Boston World Partnership, and a trustee at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
"He was as fine a citizen as Boston has ever had," said Mortimer Zuckerman, Mr. Linde's principle business partner of 45 years. "With all the civic activities and public contribution's he's made, it's hard to describe the depth of his impact."
BSO managing director Mark Volpe remembered Mr. Linde?s calm demeanor last year when the Symphony struggled in the face of a nearly $100 million decline in its endowment.
?A few people were sort of panicked, but basically what Ed did was to sit down and methodically go over every aspect of the operation,? said Volpe. ?He asked ?what does the symphony do in this environment to maintain its mission but at the same time deal with the financial reality. He never showed evidence of panic.?
Boston Properties is one of the largest owners and developers of Class A office properties in the United States, with most of its holdings concentrated in Boston, Manhattan, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Princeton, N.J. In addition to adding the plaza-level shopping facilities after it acquired the Prudential tower, Boston Properties also built 111 Huntington Avenue in Boston?s Back Bay.
Among its current projects is a 31-story development on Russia Wharf on Boston?s waterfront. The property, scheduled to be completed next year will include a 750,000-square-foot office tower, 70 residential units, several restaurants, and a waterfront plaza.
"Anyone who knew Ed Linde respected him. It was impossible not to,? said Ron Druker, a fellow real estate developer and friend of Mr. Linde?s. ?He was very successful, but he also gave a lot of it back. It's sad for our community to lose somebody like that.? Mr. Linde received degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Harvard Business School, according to Boston Properties. His son, Douglas T. Linde, serves as the president of Boston Properties. Co-founder Zuckerman, currently chairman of Boston Properties, will assume Mr. Linde?s role as chief executive.
