A timeline of Cousins Properties

A brief history of Atlanta-based Cousins Properties, founded by Tom Cousins in 1958
Tom Cousins, president of Cousins Properties, looks out onto the Omni atrium from his office in the north tower in 1983.

Credit: ANDY SHARP / AJC FILE

Credit: ANDY SHARP / AJC FILE

Tom Cousins, president of Cousins Properties, looks out onto the Omni atrium from his office in the north tower in 1983.

1958: Tom Cousins, 26, leaves position of VP of Sales for Knox Homes and starts his own residential real estate business, Cousins Properties.

1962: Company goes public.

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1964: Company named largest homebuilder in Georgia. Expands to condominiums and townhomes.

Former Gov. Carl Sanders, left, and Tom Cousins bought the St. Louis Hawks to Atlanta in 1968, marking the NBA’s first foray into the South.

Credit: AJC File

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Credit: AJC File

1965: Company builds its first office building – the Piedmont-Cain Building in downtown Atlanta.

1966: Begins developing Cross Creek Apartments, Interstate North Office Park and The Decks (the parking structure over Atlanta's railroad gulch).

1966: Company begins building its first retail project—Cambridge Square on Ashford-Dunwoody Road.

1968: Tom Cousins helps purchase the St. Louis Hawks basketball team and moves it to Atlanta.

Maurice D. Alpert, left, and Tom Cousins look over Omni plans in 1972.

Credit: COPY

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Credit: COPY

Late-1960s: Donates land that would become the Georgia World Congress Center.

1972: Work completed on The Omni Arena

1976: Omni International Complex opens (today's CNN Center).

1982: Cousins sells much of its retail holdings to focus on office development.

Early 1980s: Cousins begins relationship with IBM to build offices, including Wildwood Office Park in Cobb County. Cousins would create similar relationships with Coca-Cola, Bank of America and Emory University.

1986: Cousins becomes a real estate investment trust (REIT).

191 Peachtree Tower opened in 1991 as the city prepared for The Olympics.

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1991: 191 Peachtree Tower opens.

The familiar top of the Bank of America Plaza, at 1,023 feet the South's tallest building.

Credit: AJC file

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Credit: AJC file

1992: NationsBank Plaza (today's Bank of America Plaza) opens. At the time it is the tallest building in the country outside of New York and Chicago.

1992: Acquires New Market Companies.

The crested Pinnacle building at 3455 Peachtree Road in Buckhead, left, opened in 1998. 

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1998: The Pinnacle opens in Buckhead.

2002: Tom Cousins retires from daily operations; Tom Bell named President and CEO.

Early 2000s: Company begins to sell older projects.

2006: Company moves headquarters to 191 Peachtree.

2006: Bank of America Plaza sold to BentleyForbes for $436 million.

The Terminus complex, from left to right: Terminus 200, 10 Terminus Place and Terminus 100. (Keizers/WikiMedia)

Credit: Keizers

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Credit: Keizers

2007: Terminus 100 opens in Buckhead. It would be joined by 10 Terminus Place in 2008 and Terminus 200 in 2009.

Late 2000s: Company begins selling its industrial and retail properties, decides to concentrate on high-end office buildings across the southeast.

2016: Cousins acquires Houston-based Parkway Properties and spins off its Houston properties into Parkway, Inc.

March 25, 2019: Cousins announces it will merge with Dallas rival TIER REIT.

—Timeline information comes mostly from the Cousins Properties website.