Iconic Boston developer and noted philanthropist Norman B. Leventhal died Sunday at the age of 97.

Leventhal was born in Boston on August 30, 1917.  At the age of 15, Leventhal graduated early from the Boston Latin School. 

Although he acknowledged in a 2011  interview with the Boston Globe,  “When you go to Latin School, you go to Harvard customarily,” Leventhal chose instead to attend college at MIT. “Harvard accepted me, but it was MIT that gave me a scholarship,” he wrote in his introduction to Mapping Boston.

Leventhal cofounded Beacon Properties with his brother, Robert, in 1946. After its inception, the Boston Globe notes that Beacon Properites went on to build, renovate, or reimagine local landmarks, including: Center Plaza, Rowes Wharf, the Hotel Meridien, 75 State Street, and South Station.   

“My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Norman Leventhal, a legend who dedicated his life to transforming Boston into a world-class city,” Mayor Marty Walsh said in a statement. “He will be remembered for generations to come for his immense contributions to our city.”

In addtion to the aforementioned landmarks, Leventhal also developed more than 5,000 units of affordable housing in Greater Boston. 

In 2003, Leventhal partnered with the Boston Public Library to establish the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center. Located at the BPL, the map center boasts a collection of over 250,000 maps and atlases. 

Here’s a look at…