{"id":90467,"date":"2025-11-20T19:04:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T00:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=90467"},"modified":"2025-11-24T21:56:41","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T02:56:41","slug":"houston-lawyer-professor-and-developer-stephen-zimmerman-a-former-new-orleanian-is-laid-to-rest-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/houston-lawyer-professor-and-developer-stephen-zimmerman-a-former-new-orleanian-is-laid-to-rest-there\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston lawyer, professor and developer Stephen Zimmerman, a former New Orleanian, is laid to rest there"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_90469\" style=\"width: 160px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Zimmerman_Steve.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-90469\" class=\"wp-image-90469 size-thumbnail lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Zimmerman_Steve-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Zimmerman_Steve-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Zimmerman_Steve-350x350.jpg 350w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 150px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 150\/150;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-90469\" class=\"wp-image-90469 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Zimmerman_Steve-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Zimmerman_Steve-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Zimmerman_Steve-350x350.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-90469\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">STEVE ZIMMERMAN<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>STEPHEN &#8220;STEVE&#8221; NEAL ZIMMERMAN, a lawyer and developer who called New Orleans home as a young boy through his college years and who later made his home in Houston, died there on October 31, 2025, in the comfort of his home, a space he loved and built with his own hands.<\/p>\n<p>Born in Brooklyn in 1941, he easily carried carried the Big Easy\u2019s warmth, creativity, and hospitality throughout every chapter of his life. A Tulane Law School graduate, he moved to Houston in 1964, where he practiced and taught law and political science. There, his legal acumen sparked an entrepreneurial spirit, drawing him toward real estate development in the then-overlooked Montrose neighborhood.<\/p>\n<p>What began with acquiring small properties and pioneering townhome developments eventually led to beloved establishments that introduced a new convivial spirit to the city and shaped the area\u2019s future\u2013 most notably Zimm\u2019s, celebrated as Houston\u2019s first sidewalk caf\u00e9 and Texas\u2019s first wine bar.<\/p>\n<p>In 1979, he acquired the historic Fondren Mansion and then opened La Colombe d\u2019Or, an intimate, art-filled boutique hotel that became a Houston icon and welcomed presidents, dignitaries, Nobel laureates, and celebrities. Over the years, he expanded the property to include the famed 18th-century Le Grand Salon Ballroom and later partnered with Gerald Hines to develop The Residences at La Colombe d\u2019Or, uniting the beloved historic hotel with a new symbol of modern Houston.<\/p>\n<p>Only a few years later, he met the woman who would become the love of his life, his wife and the mother of his sons, Rebecca, known affectionately as Becky. The two enjoyed traveling the world together, while creating a legacy rooted in love, hospitality and family.<\/p>\n<p>A citizen of the world, Zimmerman also cherished his time in the South of France\u2014its culture, cuisine, and slower rhythm of life. His family home there remains a cherished retreat, filled with laughter, food, and memories that reflect his generosity and joie de vivre. Charismatic and endlessly curious, he truly never met a stranger. He could strike up a conversation anywhere and with anybody that left others laughing, thinking, and inspired. His humor, intellect, and warmth drew people in and made them feel seen and valued.<\/p>\n<p>He was devoted to his family, his work, and his community, and brought the same enthusiasm to every pursuit. Deeply proud of his Jewish heritage, he lived a life guided by faith, family, generosity, and connection. He embraced traditions that celebrated love, learning, and service\u2013values he carried forward through his children and grandchildren.<\/p>\n<p>Zimmerman was pre-deceased by his son Mark Andrew &#8220;Drew&#8221; Zimmerman in 2024 and is survived by his wife of more than four decades, Becky Zimmerman; his son Dan Zimmerman (Kirsten); his sister Linda Rosenzweig (Allen); and three grandchildren.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in his honor to Jack Segal Academy at Beth Yeshurun (<a title=\"http:\/\/www.segalacademy.org\/\" contenteditable=\"false\" href=\"http:\/\/www.segalacademy.org\">www.segalacademy.org<\/a>), supporting early childhood Jewish education, or to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, (<a title=\"http:\/\/www.mfah.org\/support\" contenteditable=\"false\" href=\"http:\/\/www.mfah.org\/support\">www.mfah.org\/support<\/a>), celebrating his lifelong appreciation for art and beauty<\/p>\n<p>A funeral service took place on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, in The Sophia and Jack Bender Memorial Chapel at Beth Yeshurun Post Oak Cemetery.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Houston%20lawyer%2C%20professor%20and%20developer%20Stephen%20Zimmerman%2C%20a%20former%20New%20Orleanian%2C%20is%20laid%20to%20rest%20there\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[8790,8795,8788,14906],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90467"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90467"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90467\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":90475,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90467\/revisions\/90475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}