Bob Toll: An Incredible Legacy
Robert I. Toll was born in 1940 and raised in Elkins Park, a suburb of Philadelphia.
After graduating from Cornell University and The University of Pennsylvania Law School, Bob practiced law for one year before founding Toll Brothers with his younger brother Bruce in 1967. Inspired by their father Albert, a home builder, the brothers built their first two colonial-style homes in suburban Philadelphia.
“We built two homes. Instead of selling them, we used them as samples for the lots we owned down the street,” recalled Bob. They became the Company’s first decorated luxury model homes, an innovative selling concept that is now a signature Toll Brothers strategy. With contracts in hand to build 20 more homes in the community, Toll Brothers was on its way.
Bob Toll served as Chairman and CEO of Toll Brothers from its founding in 1967 until 2010, and remained on the Board of Directors until recently stepping back to Chairman Emeritus.
The company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1986, ultimately becoming a Fortune 500 company with $9 billion in annual home building revenues, and a presence that now spans over 60 markets in 24 states.
Awards & Honors
During his illustrious career, Bob received numerous industry honors. He was named CEO of the Year by BUILDER magazine, Top CEO in the home building industry three times by Institutional Investor magazine, and was twice named to Barron’s List of The World’s 30 Most Respected CEOs.
In addition, the company he co-founded has been named the #1 World’s Most Admired Home Builder in FORTUNE magazine’s survey of the World’s Most Admired Companies® seven times, as well as Builder of the Year by BUILDER magazine and the first two-time recipient of Builder of the Year from Professional Builder magazine.
In 2017, Bob and Bruce Toll were inducted into the BUILDER magazine Hall of Fame and together celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Company’s founding by ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange.
Above All, Family
Bob’s enthusiasm for the real estate business was surpassed only by his passion and love for his family. Bob is survived by his beloved wife, Jane, their five children, and 12 grandchildren.
Bob was known for the incredible passion, energy, and humor that he brought to every aspect of his life, whether he was pitching softball at the Company’s annual picnic, racing sailboats on Long Island Sound, skiing double black diamonds in Colorado, taunting his opponents on the tennis court or golf course, or jumping into a freezing cold lake with his family in Maine. He lived an incredibly full life, never putting off until tomorrow what he could do today.
