British property legend Irvine Sellar has died at the age of 82.
He died yesterday after a short illness, his family said in a statement this morning. His son James will take the helm at the Sellar Property Group, his company for the past 25 years.
Sellar, who developed London’s Shard tower, was self-made and from East End of London. He made his name in the swinging London fashion scene in the 1960s.
In a statement his spokesman said: “The property industry has lost an immense and irreplaceable character whose sheer grit and determination will leave a huge void in a sector known for big characters.”
Hall of Famer
Sellar was among the first inductees to the Property Week Hall of Fame, which recognises legends of the property industry.
Few faced the sort of obstacles Irvine Sellar did with The Shard, as he himself acknowledged in a Property Week interview in 2012:
“You can call it an accident, call it luck, call it a miracle - a lot of things happened with this project without which it might never have happened. But you have to recognise these things and take those opportunities.”
Today the elegant Renzo Piano-designed edifice stands as soaring testament to his vision. The ‘vertical village’ has also become the beating heart of the burgeoning London Bridge Quarter - as he always said it would.
On receiving the award Sellar said: “Let’s hope what I have achieved is going to be an inspiration. Don’t give up, fight against the odds and there will be a few more winners in the years to come.”
2 Readers' comments