Albert Abramson, a prominent property magnate in Washington who played a crucial role in developing the United States Holocaust Museum, died last week at the age of 94, The New York Times reports.

A New York native whose family moved to Washington when he was 4, Mr. Abramson co-founded the Tower Companies, which built numerous shopping centers and office buildings in and around the nation’s capital.

Mr. Abramson joined the drive to build an American memorial to the Holocaust in the mid-1980s, chairing the museum’s development committee and bringing a blunt, businesslike approach to the effort. After initial clashes with the project leaders, he became instrumental in raising funds, recruiting a designer, and cultivating Congressional support.