Gilbert Tilles

Gilbert Tilles (December 31, 1916 – November 14, 1990) was an American real estate developer, who lived in Long Island, New York. He was known for the creation of Crossways Industrial Park and other real estate ventures, as well as being a philanthropist.

Family
Gilbert Tilles was married to Rose Tilles and had two children, Peter Tilles and Roger Tilles.

Career
In 1950,Gilbert Tilles, along with his partner Iving Berger purchased a 100-acre farm that was called Island Trees. Gilbert Tilles would then use this land to built the Levittown Shopping Center, which opened in 1953, becoming the largest pedestrian mall east of the Mississippi at the time it was opened. By 1955, Gilbert Tilles and Iving Berger had 11 shopping centers built.

Bridge Plans
In the 1960s, as the Long Island Expressway was expanding towards Woodbury, Gilbert Tilles' friend Bill Casey introduced him to state Park Commission President Robert Moses, and U.S. Presidential Advisor Nelson Rockefeller. Together, they discussed a planned bridge between Westchester and Oyster Bay. Seeing an opportunity for office buildings, Gilbert sold all but one shopping mall, in order to purchase Froelich Farm, where the Long Island Expressway and Route 135 would eventually connect. Construction began on Crossways Industrial Park, although the bridge was never built.

Contributions to the Lunar Module Program
When Grumman began working on the Lunar Module Program, for the Apollo Program, Gilbert Tilles would find the opportunity to lease eight buildings to Grumman. He would lease these buildings until, 1992, when Grumman left.

Tilles Center for the Performing Arts
In 1954, Long Island University announced the creation of a college of arts and sciences in Brookville. By 1955, the school was opened and classes started. In 1970, LIU added a 3,500 seat theater to the Brookville Campus, locally known as The Dome. However, on the night of January 21, 1978, The Dome collapsed due to snow accumulation. Following this, a new concert hall was built by Paul Borches and Mitchell Giurgola Architects. This new concert hall was completed in 1981. Due to the donations from the Tilles family, the new concert hall was named the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts.

Gilbert Tilles Award
The Gilbert Tilles Award is given to a business or individual that exhibits exceptional actions while being a philanthropist. The individual or business also must demonstrate leadership by inspiring others to also become philanthropists.