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Abe Pollin of Bethesda, owner of the erstwhile Baltimore Bullets — who became the Washington Bullets and now the Washington Wizards of the NBA — as well as founder and owner of the NHL's Washington Capitals, left a giant legacy of business success, economic development and philanthropy with his death Tuesday at the age of 85.

The cause of death was not specified, according to Matt Williams, executive vice president and chief of staff for Pollin's company, Washington Sports & Entertainment, but Williams said Pollin did have a neurological brain disease.

Known more recently for building the $220 million Verizon Center, which he privately financed and opened in 1997 — helping revitalize a dilapidated area of downtown Washington — Pollin actually spent much of his earlier years creating businesses and jobs in Maryland.

He and his wife bought the Baltimore Bullets in 1964, with the team playing at the Baltimore Civic Center — now First Mariner Arena — until 1973 when he moved the team to Landover.

There, Pollin engineered the remaking of a large swath of Prince George's County with the building of the Capital Centre, where the Bullets played until they moved to Washington's then-MCI Arena as the Wizards in 1997.

While Pollin may not be remembered fondly by many in Baltimore today after moving its NBA team away, his building of the $16 million Capital Centre was a catalyst for development in an area that today features the Boulevard at the Capital Centre shopping plaza, built on the grounds of the former arena, plus Largo Town Center, several restaurants, office buildings and residential complexes.

The Capital Centre, named by Pollin's surviving wife, Irene, was considered a state-of-the-art arena at the time it opened, featuring electronic ticketing, luxury suite accommodations and the telescreen, a giant video screen that is now a mainstay in arenas.

"It was the premier arena in its time," according to Washington Sports & Entertainment information, "as it hosted a wide range of events from sports to concerts, and even presidential galas."

"He built a state-of-the-art building, where at the time it was nothing but a field," said Williams, a Fort Washington resident. "When you look back, it had the Bullets, Capitals, a lot of great concerts and other events. We won a championship [the Bullets' 1978 NBA title] there, and it was something that brought people to the county." Williams said his company still has offices at the Boulevard at the Capital Centre.

"Abe was a tremendous individual and he contributed to the Washington metropolitan area in a number of ways," said Kwasi G. Holman, president and CEO of the Prince George's County Economic Development Corp., in an e-mail. "He built both the Capital Centre and the Boulevard as well as what is now the Verizon Center with mostly his own money. I had the privilege of working with him as his spokesperson for the MCI/Verizon center project when I worked with the D.C. Chamber."

The Capital Centre, which created hundreds of jobs over the years, was also the home of the Georgetown University Hoyas basketball team. The arena hosted live boxing matches featuring former world champion Sugar Ray Leonard, as well as closed circuit boxing telecasts, along with concerts and other events, drawing millions of fans to Prince George's County.

However, Williams said, Pollin had tried once before to build an arena in Washington, where his family moved after he was born in Philadelphia, and he eventually decided to build what was the MCI Arena and move his sports teams there in 1997. Pollin grew up in Washington, the son of a businessman and contractor, and before he delved into the professional sports world he became successful in the construction industry, with developments in Washington and Maryland.

As majority owner of Washington Sports & Entertainment, Pollin oversaw the operations of the Wizards, the Washington/Baltimore Ticketmaster franchise and three multi-purpose facilities throughout his career: Capital Centre, Verizon Center and the George Mason University Patriot Center. Pollin owned and operated the Capitals and the WNBA's Washington Mystics before their respective sales within the past decade.

"He was a true visionary," Holman said. "He was a man of his word. He was committed to not only philanthropy but to making our metropolitan area a great place to live and work. He spent many of his early years building housing for people who needed housing. He spent many of his later years building a sports dynasty as well as being committed to making our region the premier region in the United States. I will miss him personally and professional. He taught me many things about doing business honorably."

Rep. Christopher Van Hollen Jr. (D-Dist. 8) of Kensington said in a statement: "The Washington, D.C. region — and our entire nation — has suffered an enormous loss with the passing of Abe Pollin, and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family at this difficult time. Abe dedicated countless hours and resources to this community. From feeding the hungry and sheltering the poor, to providing college scholarships and working with the Salvation Army, Abe Pollin touched many lives and contributed generously to causes that made a difference in people's lives. He will be deeply missed."

Besides his wife, Irene, survivors include two sons, Robert and James; two grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.