Dan Moody Jr., a prominent developer who helped to shape much of Houston’s commercial real estate landscape as co-founder of Moody Rambin, died Oct. 10. He was 84.
Moody died peacefully while on vacation in Woodstock, Vermont, according to an obituary posted on Legacy.com, first reported by the Houston Business Journal.
During the course of more than half a century in real estate, Moody and his co-founder, Howard Rambin, played a key role in introducing townhomes and atriums to Houston real estate as well as developing numerous office, industrial and retail projects and brokering thousands of deals.
“He will be remembered for his entrepreneurial presence, his kind and generous spirit, and his complete love and adoration for his wife, family, and friends,” the obituary said.
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A native Houstonian, Moody graduated from Lamar High School and went on to The University of Texas at Austin, where he met his wife, Mary Austin Moody. He began his career as a land broker for Moody Moody & Griffis, a real estate firm owned by his father, developer Dan Moody Sr.
In the late 1960s, a mutual friend introduced Moody to Howard Rambin after realizing that both men were interested in the compact and comparatively affordable patio homes that were then coming into fashion and helped delineate the market for contemporary townhomes.
In 1969, Moody and Rambin launched their own company, Patio Homes Inc., which became Moody Rambin. The firm soon moved into commercial real estate, developing an office park at One Post Oak Place consisting of seven low-rise office buildings on 20 acres, all of them featuring atriums and indoor landscaping.
The 1970s were boom years for Houston, and Moody Rambin would build more than 20 office buildings before economic events spurred a pivot. After the oil bust that began in 1982, Moody and Rambin began to focus on managing and leasing foreclosed properties, a shift that helped the firm and its employees navigate the decade.
“One of Howard’s proudest achievements was steering Moody Rambin through the real estate crash of 1986 without a single foreclosure or lawsuit, preserving the company’s stellar reputation,” noted Rambin’s obituary when he died in 2024.
Moody Rambin would return to development in the 1990s, when it took on the redevelopment of the Town & Country Village shopping center, which was initially developed by Moody Sr. in the 1960s and which Moody Rambin still owns and manages.
By 2019, when Moody Rambin marked its 50th anniversary, the firm had more than 100 employees and had developed more than five million square feet of commercial real estate as well as managing and leasing millions more.
“At 50 years old, the Moody Rambin commercial real estate firm has outlasted some of its once cutting-edge developments,” noted the Houston Chronicle in 2019. “And as its founders ready to hand the reins to a new generation of leadership, the firm is creating new projects with an eye toward the future.”
That new generation includes Moody’s son, Dan Moody III, now a partner and managing director at the firm.
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In addition to his business interests, Moody was involved in a range of political, civic and charitable causes.
“Dan’s keen interest in innovative medical procedures, political issues, and world events contributed to his dynamic personality,” his obituary said. “He was known for clipping and accumulating news articles of related significance concerning these issues.”
Moody was a major Republican donor, his obituary notes, following local, state and national elections. He was also a founding member of Scenic Houston and a contributing member of the Methodist Hospital Foundation and the Brookwood Community, among other causes.
This article originally published at Dan Moody Jr., Houston real estate developer and Moody Rambin co-founder, dies at 84.