Lee Miglin

Lee Miglin
Born
Lee Albert Miglin

(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 (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. He trained as an air cadet during World War II, before attending the University of Illinois.

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. Miglin-Beitler had held hopes of creating the project, but these plans would never happen following Miglin's murder.

Miglin was murdered at his garage in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood on May 4, 1997 by serial killer Andrew Cunanan. He was 72 years old. 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.

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.

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

References

  1. 1 2 Westville Honors Alumni With Wall of Fame
  2. 1 2 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. Archived from the original on December 29, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  5. 1 2 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. 1 2 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.