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Robert Douglass, Champion For Lower Manhattan, Dies at 85

By Irene Plagianos | December 7, 2016 5:18pm
 Robert Douglass, the founding chairman of the Downtown Alliance, died Tuesday at the age of 85
Robert Douglass, the founding chairman of the Downtown Alliance, died Tuesday at the age of 85
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Courtesy of Downtown Alliance

LOWER MANHATTAN — Robert Douglass, a longtime advocate for Lower Manhattan, died Tuesday at the age of 85.

Douglass, the founding chairman of the Downtown Alliance, the country's largest business improvement district organization, was known as a champion for the revitalization of Lower Manhattan and is credited with playing a critical role in the rebuilding of the neighborhood in the aftermath of 9/11.

“He was a giant and a gentleman, and it is nearly impossible to overstate his influence on this neighborhood,” said Downtown Alliance President Jessica Lappin in a statement. “Lower Manhattan simply would not be what it is today without him.”

He served as chairman of the organization from 1995 until 2015, but had been involved in the transformation of the Financial District for decades. As an adviser to Gov. Nelson Rockefeller in the '60s and '70s, Douglass was instrumental in shaping Lower Manhattan.

"His fingerprints were on everything from Battery Park City to the original World Trade Center," the Downtown Alliance said in a statement.

Douglass died in his Greenwich, Connecticut home — surrounded by family — from complications from Parkinson's disease

He is survived by his wife Linda, daughter Brooke and sons Robert Jr. and Andrew.