[3] Shortly after moving to Houston in 1948, Hines formed an engineering partnership and started a fledgling real estate business on the side.

Edgar L. Muller was his architectural engineer in the early years in an office Hines built on Richmond Avenue.

His first large-scale commercial development came in 1967 when Shell Oil Company hired Hines to construct a new downtown Houston headquarters.

[3] A 2005 report by the Lipsey Company,[9] recognized Hines as one of the largest real estate firms in the world, with operations throughout the U.S. and across the globe.

[3] Many of the firm's buildings were designed by well-known architects, including I. M. Pei, Philip Johnson, Cesar Pelli, Frank Gehry, and Robert A.M.

[10] At the time of his death, the Hines portfolio of projects underway, completed, acquired, and managed for third parties includes more than 1,900 properties representing approximately 679,000,000 square feet (63,100,000 m2) of office, living/housing, mixed-use, industrial/logistics, hospitality, medical, retail, and sports facilities, as well as large, master-planned communities and land developments.

[11] With controlled assets valued at approximately $144.1 billion, Hines is one of the largest real estate organizations in the world.