DATE: Thursday, November 20, 1997           TAG: 9711200476

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B9   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY NIA NGINA MEEKS, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   74 lines

DAVID I. LEVINE DIES; DEVELOPER KNOWN FOR BIG REAL ESTATE IDEAS

The tiny obituary for David I. Levine that ran in The Virginian-Pilot on Tuesday seemed contrary to the 79-year-old developer's life.

Almost every project the Norfolk multimillionaire, who died on Sunday, undertook was big.

``He believed in everything he was doing,'' his widow, Gale Levine, said. ``There was nothing half-done about David.''

Real estate. Resorts. Plays. Books.

Born in 1918, he was the son of a bookkeeper and a furniture company owner. Levine graduated from Maury High School, went on to the Norfolk branch of William and Mary - now Old Dominion University - then earned a bachelor's in economics from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

He later served in the Navy and won a commendation while commanding ships in the South Pacific during World War II.

Levine married his first wife, Barbara, in 1943. He and his wife, who was an artist and decorator, emerged on South Hampton Roads' development scene in the '50s. They built middle-income houses and garden apartments in Portsmouth, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach.

His name appeared in newspapers for decades. Levine garnered headlines for his bold real estate ideas. Downtown Portsmouth's Citizen's Trust Building, which is now Signet Bank, and Virginia Beach's Marina Shores complex are among his creations.

By the '70s, the stories weren't so rosy. He ran for Congress, twice. He opposed the Vietnam War before many others did.

``He had certain things he believed in and put forth to get them accomplished. That's just the way he looked at things,'' John Frankos of Chesapeake, who was Levine's accountant, said. ``He didn't mind speaking out how he felt, in that regard, no matter who it was.''

A self-described anarchist, Levine tangled with city councils throughout South Hampton Roads over zoning and property issues. When Virginia Beach wanted to widen and realign Great Neck Road in the '80s, Levine fought it, claiming that the move would infringe on his property rights.

``He was a man of very strong convictions,'' former Virginia Beach Mayor Harold Heischober said. Heischober served from 1984 to 1986.

``If he felt he was right on any matter, he'd go to the wall,'' Heischober said. ``He would spend all the money in the world in order to prove his point. He was one of a kind, that's for sure.''

Aside from development deals, Levine was interested in art and music. Indian tapestries decorate the walls of his home office. He collected volumes of vinyl records, jazz and classical music. Faberge eggs and pre-Colombian sculptures are among his collection.

Levine tried his hand at his brand of art, too. He wrote and produced ``Jimmy and Billy,'' a satirical musical based on the Carter administration. It opened and closed immediately in Norfolk and on Broadway. Another stab at the theater came with Old Dominion University's presentation of his ``Contributing to the Delinquency of an Elder.''

Books filled ceiling-high shelves in his study. His living room was built around a pool table. He adored his Himalayan cats. While the outside of his northern Norfolk home displays brick and fir simplicity, marble floors and art deco adorned the inside.

After two divorces, Levine in 1977 rented New York's Madison Square Garden to hold a divorce forum. Bantam published his ``How to Get a Divorce With or Without a Lawyer'' in 1979.

Later that year, he met Gale Malbon on a blind date and married the woman 35 years his junior within a month.

``In most May-December marriages, the wife is not accorded any responsibility,'' she said. ``The morning after we married, when I woke up, he said, `Let's go to work.' ''

She did. And will continue to. Properties must be run, business tended. Besides, she said, Levine wouldn't want it any other way. ILLUSTRATION: Developer David I. Levine, who died Sunday, was known

for his determination, and bold real estate ideas.

Norfolk developer David I. Levine, who died Sunday, was known for

his determination and strong convictions. KEYWORDS: DEATH OBITUARY

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