Lee Miglin

Lee Miglin
Born
Lee Albert Miglin[1]

(1924-07-12)July 12, 1924
Westville, Illinois, U.S.
DiedMay 4, 1997(1997-05-04) (aged 72)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Cause of deathMultiple stab wounds
Occupation(s)Real estate developer, business tycoon, philanthropist
Spouse
​
(m. 1959)​
Children2

Lee Albert Miglin[1] (July 12, 1924 – May 4, 1997) was an American real estate developer, businessman, and philanthropist. He was born in Westville, Illinois. Miglin went on to become a successful real estate developer in partnership with J. Paul Beitler.

Miglin was born in Westville, Illinois.[2] He trained as an air cadet during World War II, before attending the University of Illinois.[2]

In 1988, Miglin-Beitler Developments revealed plans to build a 1,999 foot 125-floor skyscraper in Chicago to be called the Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle. This would have been the tallest building in the world at the time of its planned completion. However, the building was never built.[3][4][5] Miglin-Beitler had held hopes of creating the project, but these plans would never happen following Miglin's murder.[5]

Miglin was murdered at his garage in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood on May 4, 1997 by serial killer Andrew Cunanan.[6][7] He was 72 years old.[8] He had been tortured with a saw and a screwdriver, his ribs had been broken, he had been beaten and stabbed, and his throat had been slashed with a gardener's bow saw.[6]

The second season of the anthology television series American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace, was about the Cunanan spree where Miglin was played by Mike Farrell.[9]

In 1959, Miglin married 20-year-old Marilyn Klecka. She was a businesswoman and host of several shows on the Home Shopping Network.[10] They had two children together, Marlena (born 1968) and Duke Miglin (born 1971).

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Westville Honors Alumni With Wall of Fame
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 James, Frank (January 18, 1990). "Sky kings". Newspapers.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  3. ↑ Kerch, Steve (May 11, 1997). "An Unbuilt Tower Is A Fine Legacy For Lee Miglin". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2018-03-11. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  4. ↑ "Imagining the Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle as Willis' Big Brother". Curbed Chicago. May 16, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ori, Ryan (March 19, 2018). "Five decades after Chicago's greatest skyscraper boom, city aims high again". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chuck Goudie; Barb Markoff (May 2, 2017). "20 years after Cunanan murders, Lee Miglin's son talks". ABC7. Chicago. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  7. ↑ Martin, Andrew; Ferkenhoff, Eric (May 6, 1997). "The Mysterious Death Of Lee Miglin - Gold Coast Area Shocked By Slaying". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  8. ↑ Kastor, Elizabeth; Weeks, Linton (July 17, 1997). "Five Lives Cut Short". Washington Post.
  9. ↑ "Mike Farrell as Lee Miglin for American Crime Story: Versace on FX". FX Networks. Archived from the original on 2019-03-21. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  10. ↑ Orth, Maureen (September 1997). "The Killer's Trail". Vanity Fair. Retrieved January 7, 2018.