Tibor Hollo is highly-regarded by his peers as a pioneer and one of Miami’s true visionaries. Over 60 years ago, he forged a path for the future by constructing the very first high-rise building on Brickell Avenue. The concept of living, working, and playing in the urban core long has been his dream, brought to life through his many developments, especially in the Omni/Venetia area and the Brickell corridor. His vision now is truly taking shape on a large scale, as evidenced by the growth and excitement permeating the areas in and surrounding our beautiful Downtown.
Mr. Hollo’s projects in the Miami area include a significant number of major high-rise residential, commercial, and mixed-use buildings. One of his recent major developments is 2020 Ponce, an upscale, Class-A, office tower in Coral Gables. Other completed projects include Bay Parc Plaza, Venetia/The Grand (which contains more than 3.4 million square feet by itself), the Biscayne Bay Marriott Hotel and Marina, Plaza Venetia, Flamingo Plaza, Vizcaya Towers and Vizcaya North, Center House, Sans Souci Manor, Tropicana East and Tropicana West Apartments, and Twin Lakes Racquet Club. His projects also include 888 Brickell Avenue, two United States Treasury Buildings, and the United States Justice Department Building in Downtown Miami.
In 1969, he built the first high-rise in the Brickell Area—one of his many firsts—as a landmark cornerstone of Miami’s premier financial marketplace. In 1975, he forged new ground by developing the Omni area (currently known as the Arts & Entertainment District) with the Venetia/Omni development. This began the transformation of a lackluster midtown district into one of South Florida’s most important centers of commerce and recreation. In 1990, he began the innovative restoration of One Bayfront Plaza, located at the epicenter of Downtown Miami. This effort was recognized with numerous awards for the concept, design, workmanship, and exterior lighting, as well as the economic benefit that the structure provides.
In 1996, Mr. Hollo acquired Colonnade Plaza, an elegant and architecturally-significant, eight-story, office building located on prestigious Brickell Avenue, which became an anchor for the Club at Brickell Bay, which was completed in 2005, comprised of 643 residences. In 2023, Colonnade Plaza was fully-renovated to include 96 corporate apartment units, as well.
He has developed and provided management services for the SOC 1 Type 2 Report Certified Miami Data Vault, a state-of-the-art telecommunications/data center, as a result of the re-use of an empty building located in the Little River section of Miami. The re-use of the building has provided jobs and commerce in one of the city’s more economically-depressed areas.
He built the first new high-rise apartment building of the millennium, Bay Parc Plaza, which opened in January 2000, to immense success, and it was fully occupied in record time. This building, part of the Omni/Venetia area, provides a significant source of moderate rental housing to meet the needs of the city.
FECR acquired 1101 Brickell in 2009, which contains approximately 300,000 square feet of recently-renovated office space in two glass-walled towers. In addition to the office towers, FECR has constructed the new Panorama Tower, a luxury high-rise residential apartment tower, along with additional high-end hotel, office, and retail space, on the site.
Mr. Hollo’s grandest project to date will be the new One Bayfront Plaza. This global landmark will be a mixed-use development of contemporary modern design, encompassing a total of over three million square feet, principally-comprised of premier, class AAA office space, together with a luxury convention hotel and high-end residences. Additionally, within the pedestal base that will comprise two full city blocks, the edifice will include an upscale retail mall and a parking garage. The tower will be Miami’s signature project and the tallest building in the skyline, reaching a height of 1,049 feet above Biscayne Bay, with 360-degree, panoramic views truly beyond compare.
Although Mr. Hollo’s business activities are largely devoted to commercial and residential developments and management, he also has been an active participant in over 40 civic, fraternal, and religious organizations and has earned numerous awards and accolades over the years.
The U.S. Congress recognized and honored Mr. Hollo as an Outstanding Floridian in 1981 and again in 2005. The Simon Wiesenthal Center also honored Mr. Hollo and his wife, Sheila, in 2005. He was the first recipient of the prestigious City of Miami Visionary Award in 1990, as well.
In 2006, Catholic Charities Legal Services and the Archdiocese of Miami presented Mr. Hollo with the New American Award, which recognizes individual immigrants’ contributions to society. Under his leadership, FECR was honored by South Florida CEO Magazine as the Best Condo Developer for 2006.
In 2007, Mr. Hollo was honored by the House of Representatives for his contribution to Miami’s growth. At the request of The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, a flag was flown over the United States Capitol in Washington D.C. in his honor.
Mr. Hollo was selected by the City of Miami and the Greater Miami Host Committee as the Global Citizen of the Year for 2009 and also was honored by Business Leader Media as the Business Leader of the Year in the real estate category.
In 2010, Mr. Hollo received the coveted life achievement award by the Urban Land Institute and then in 2011, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce presented Mr. Hollo with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2012, the South Florida Business Journal named Mr. Hollo as one of the 100 Power Leaders, as well as a Miami Ultimate CEO. Florida International University (FIU) honored Mr. Hollo with the South Florida Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the 2012 Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame Awards.
More recently, Mr. Hollo received the Distinguished Citizen Award from the Boy Scouts of America (South Florida Council) in 2015, the Jay Malina Award from the Miami-Dade Beacon Council (Annual Beacon Awards) in 2016, the Leonard “DOC” Baker Lifetime Achievement Award from the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce in 2017, and the Henry M. Flagler Award from the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce in 2019. He was also selected as a Real Estate Visionary by the Miami Herald (South Florida Visionary Awards) in 2016 and a Living Legend by Florida Trend (Florida 500) in 2018. Additionally, Mr. Hollo was honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards from Miami Today (Gold Medal Awards) in 2018, United HomeCare (Claude Pepper Awards) in 2019, South Florida Business & Wealth (Apogee Awards) in 2021, and FIU’s Tibor and Sheila Hollo School of Real Estate (REact Real Estate Conference) in 2022.
Mr. Hollo is a member of the Society of Founders of Mount Sinai Hospital and the University of Miami. He has served on Florida’s Task Force on Housing and Community Affairs and the Governor’s Advisory Council on Factory Built Housing, as well as the Downtown Advisory Committee and the Committee on Ecology and Beautification. He served on the Executive Board as Trustee of Barry University, the Board of Directors of the Latin Builders Association, and the City of Miami Beach’s ad hoc committee for Economic Adjustment Strategy. He also has been on the County’s Performing Arts Center Strategic Planning Committee and has served on the Board of Directors of both the Florida Grand Opera and the Opera Society. He is a Past President and Advisory Board member for Temple Emanu-El in Miami Beach, as well.