Harold B. Wheeler, 54, developer

Harold B. "Hal" Wheeler, 54, of New Hope, who spent 15 years developing the luxury condominium building 10 Rittenhouse Square, died of heart failure Monday at Doylestown Hospital.

In the mid-1990s, Mr. Wheeler began assembling land for the 33-story building at 18th and Walnut Streets, which was completed in November. In 2004, he and his brother William formed a joint venture of Wheeler Bros. Holdings and a New Jersey firm, ARC Properties, and established ARCWheeler to build 10 Rittenhouse Square. The project ran into delays when ARCWheeler's plans to demolish the old Rittenhouse Club and other buildings, including the former Rindelaub's Bakery, met with neighborhood opposition.

In 1992, Mr. Wheeler faced community protests when he built two shopping complexes in Chestnut Hill. Such stumbling blocks didn't deter him.

"He was persistent," his brother Samuel said. "He never gave up." An Inquirer reporter writing about the condo delays in 2002 described Mr. Wheeler as "the Timex of developers: He takes a licking and keeps on ticking."

In 2005, Mr. Wheeler sought the advice of John A. Gallery, executive director of the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, on how to win approval for the Rittenhouse Square condo plans.

"He followed all the right procedures and met with neighborhood groups. He was open to suggestions and advice, and I found him to be one of the most responsive developers I have worked with in Philadelphia," said Gallery, who led the city Office of Housing and Community Development in the 1970s. In 2007, at Gallery's invitation, Mr. Wheeler joined the Preservation Alliance board.

Though some buildings were demolished for 10 Rittenhouse Square, the facade of the beaux arts Rittenhouse Club was preserved and formed part of the base of the new building. The garage was built underground, and the ground floor was wrapped with retail spaces.

Mr. Wheeler told a reporter in 2008 that the struggle over 10 Rittenhouse Square had made him more sensitive to the value of architectural history.

Still, Howard Haas, a Center City lawyer, was wary when Mr. Wheeler proposed a development plan for the historic Boyd Theatre on Chestnut Street in 2008. Haas is president of the Friends of the Boyd, established to preserve the art deco building.

Mr. Wheeler proposed a restoration of the theater, which would become an entertainment center with an adjacent hotel. "He won us over," Haas said.