Robert W. Dowling (September 9, 1895 – August 28, 1973) was a real estate investor and philanthropist in the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

area.

Dowling College Dowling College was a private college on Long Island, New York. It was established in 1968 and had its main campus located in Oakdale, New York on the site of William K. Vanderbilt's mansion Idle Hour. Dowling also included a campus in Shirley, ...

was named for him.

Biography

Robert Whittle Dowling was born in New York City. His father Robert Emmett Dowling was president of the City Investing real estate firm. In 1915 he made the first recorded swim around

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

(in 13 hours 45 minutes). Following his father's death in 1943, he took over his father's company. Although Dowling had no formal education beyond high school, his advice was sought for the design and establishment of the

Parkchester Parkchester is a planned community and neighborhood originally developed by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and located in the central Bronx, New York City. The immediate surrounding area also takes its name from the complex. Its boundari ...

Stuyvesant Town Stuyvesant may refer to: People * Peter Stuyvesant (1592–1672), the last governor of New Netherland * Peter Gerard Stuyvesant (1778–1847), lawyer, landowner and philanthropist. * Rutherfurd Stuyvesant (1843–1909), socialite and land developer ...

, and

Peter Cooper Village Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

real estate ventures. All three ventures marked a change in the classic New York City grid to create housing developments within a campus setting. Dowling received a

Special Tony Award The Special Tony Award category includes the Lifetime Achievement Tony Award and the Special Tony Award. These are non-competitive honorary awards, and the titles have changed over the years. The Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre ...

in 1948 for his contribution to theatre as result of his ownership of the

Fulton Theatre The Fulton Theatre was a Broadway theatre located at 210 West 46th Street in Manhattan, New York City, that was opened in 1911. It was renamed the Helen Hayes Theatre in 1955. The theatre was demolished in 1982. Since the former Little Theatre be ...

Morosco Theatre The Morosco Theatre was a Broadway theatre near Times Square in New York City from 1917 to 1982. It housed many notable productions and its demolition, along with four adjacent theaters, was controversial. History Located at 217 West 45th Stree ...

and Coronet Theatre and Gaiety Theatre In 1957, he was among the developers who transformed the Globe Movie Theatre into a legitimate Broadway theatre now called the

Lunt-Fontaine Theatre The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, originally the Globe Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 205 West 46th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1910, the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre was designed by Carrère and Hastin ...

. He was among the producers of the original ''Sound of Music''. Dowling, who was a friend of

Adelphi University Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York. Adelphi also has centers in Manhattan, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County. There is also a virtual, online campus for remote students. It is the oldest institution of higher ed ...

dean Allyn P. Robinson, provided a grant of $3 million in 1968, which allowed the Adelphi campus in

Oakdale, New York Oakdale is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 7,974 at the 2010 census. Oakdale is in the Town of Islip. It has been home to Gilded Age mansions, the South Side Sportsmen's Club, ...

to become independent and it became

closed in 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowling, Robert W. 1895 births 1973 deaths Philanthropists from New York (state) American theatre managers and producers American real estate businesspeople Special Tony Award recipients 20th-century American philanthropists Manhattan Island swimmers