Walter Marks; Realtor, Developer, Civic Leader

Walter N. Marks, civic leader, philanthropist, Realtor and developer who helped build Westwood, Beverly Hills and Palm Springs, has died. He was 94.

Marks died Sunday at his home in Rancho Mirage, said his son, Walter N. Marks Jr.

The realty agent, who founded the real estate firm Walter N. Marks Inc. of Beverly Hills in 1956, sold or created many of the complexes along Wilshire Boulevard from downtown to the ocean. One of his development projects was the Santa Monica Mall.

His civic and cultural efforts were as sweeping as his professional projects. Marks was a director and officer of the companies established in the 1960s to build the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Ahmanson Theatre and the Mark Taper Forum at the Los Angeles County Music Center. He also chaired the fund-raising campaign in the 1950s to build Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Marks was a director of the Hollywood Bowl Assn., the Urban League of Los Angeles and Friends of Music at USC, and served as president of the Los Angeles Orchestral Society.

After moving to the desert in the mid-1960s, Marks concentrated his philanthropy and his volunteer efforts on the Palm Springs Desert Museum, Eisenhower Medical Center and the College of the Desert.

He served as president and longtime director of the museum, which has named several areas in honor of his gifts of talent and money.

In 1986, the city of Palm Springs celebrated “The Doris and Walter N. Marks Week” in honor of the couple’s various contributions to the cultural life of the city.

Throughout his life, Marks worked with the National Conference of Christians and Jews. He headed and served as director of the Southern California Region, and was a governor and vice chairman of the West Region of the national organization.

Born in Marion, Ind., Marks moved to Los Angeles in 1924. For many years he served as leasing agent for Tishman Realty & Construction Co.

Marks was president of the Los Angeles Board of Realtors in 1968, and an active member for 60 years. He used that platform to campaign actively for reduction of property taxes, fueling public outrage that later resulted in Proposition 13.

Marks was also a director and 1975 Citizen of the Year of the Beverly Hills Board of Realtors, a regional vice president and honorary director for life of the California Assn. of Realtors and a past director of the National Assn. of Realtors.

In addition to his son, Marks is survived by a daughter, Marlene Marks Louchheim, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. His wife of 60 years, the former Doris Weinberger, died in 1989.

Services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday at Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary in Los Angeles.

The family has asked that memorial contributions be sent to the Walter Marks Memorial Fund, Palm Springs Desert Museum, P.O. Box 2288, Palm Springs, CA 92263.