Jack Cotton

January 1, 1903 (age 61)

Birmingham, United States

He became the dominant figure in the world of property development in Britain. His methods of operation were a model for others involved in the property boom in the years following World World War World War II He left at the age of 18 to become an articled clerk in a firm of estate agents and surveyors. In 1924, he set up his own firm in Birmingham. By the 1930s, he was buying farmland to sell to speculative builders of housing estates. In 1932 he began the first of his purely urban developments, starting with blocks of flats and moving on to commercial property. In 1937, he built King Edward House on the site of his old school, which was rebuilt in Edgbaston close to the University of Birmingham. Other office blocks in the centre of Birmingham followed. During World World War II, he realised that there would be a huge demand for new buildings after the war. He moved to London, and bought a property company called Mansion House Chambers Limited., which he then merged with another company called Chesham House (Regent Street) Limited., the name of which was changed in 1955 to City Centre Properties. He persuaded the Pearl and the Legal and General Insurance Companies to become partners in his ventures. Barclays Bank joined in his overseas operations. In 1960 City Centre Properties merged with two other big property companies, ‘City and Central’ and ‘Murrayfield’, to create the biggest property company in the world. The most important of Cotton"s developments were the Big Top three and a half acre site in Birmingham, the Notting Hill complex in London, and the Pan Am building over the Grand Central Terminal in New York City. He contributed to many charities. The Cotton Terraces of the Zoological Gardens in Regent"s Park are named in his memory. He also founded a chair of architecture and fine arts at the Hebrew University and chairs of biochemistry at the Royal College of Surgeons and the Weizmann Institute.

Jack Cotton

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General Vice-President surveyors

Education

Jack Cotton was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School, then at Cheltenham College.

Career

He became the dominant figure in the world of property development in Britain. His methods of operation were a model for others involved in the property boom in the years following World World War World War II He left at the age of 18 to become an articled clerk in a firm of estate agents and surveyors. In 1924, he set up his own firm in Birmingham.

By the 1930s, he was buying farmland to sell to speculative builders of housing estates.

In 1932 he began the first of his purely urban developments, starting with blocks of flats and moving on to commercial property. In 1937, he built King Edward House on the site of his old school, which was rebuilt in Edgbaston close to the University of Birmingham.

Other office blocks in the centre of Birmingham followed. During World World War II, he realised that there would be a huge demand for new buildings after the war.

He moved to London, and bought a property company called Mansion House Chambers Limited., which he then merged with another company called Chesham House (Regent Street) Limited., the name of which was changed in 1955 to City Centre Properties.

He persuaded the Pearl and the Legal and General Insurance Companies to become partners in his ventures. Barclays Bank joined in his overseas operations. In 1960 City Centre Properties merged with two other big property companies, ‘City and Central’ and ‘Murrayfield’, to create the biggest property company in the world.

The most important of Cotton"s developments were the Big Top three and a half acre site in Birmingham, the Notting Hill complex in London, and the Pan Am building over the Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

He contributed to many charities. The Cotton Terraces of the Zoological Gardens in Regent"s Park are named in his memory.

He also founded a chair of architecture and fine arts at the Hebrew University and chairs of biochemistry at the Royal College of Surgeons and the Weizmann Institute.

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