Willard G. Rouse III was an American real estate developer.

Rouse was the developer of One Liberty Place, designed by Helmut Jahn

Helmut Jahn

Helmut Jahn is a German-American architect, well known for designs such as the US$800 million Sony Center on the Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, the Messeturm in Frankfurt and the One Liberty Place, formerly the tallest building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Suvarnabhumi Airport, an international...

, the first structure in Philadelphia to exceed the traditional height limitation established by the top of the statue of William Penn

William Penn

William Penn was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful...

 atop Philadelphia City Hall

Philadelphia City Hall

Philadelphia City Hall is the house of government for the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At , including the statue, it is the world's second-tallest masonry building, only shorter than Mole Antonelliana in Turin...

. He famously clashed with city planner Edmund Bacon over the landmark development, which was quickly followed by additional tall buildings. Rouse was the nephew of developer James Rouse.

Rouse founded Rouse and Associates, a real estate development company primarily focused on office and industrial development in select cities in the United States. In 1994 the company went public as a UPREIT and is now known as Liberty Property Trust (Ticker:LRY), headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania.

Rouse was also involved in the construction of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is a large performing arts venue located on Broad Street, along the stretch known as the "Avenue of the Arts", in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is owned and operated by Kimmel Center, Inc., an organization which also manages the Academy of Music in...

 and the Pennsylvania Convention Center

Pennsylvania Convention Center

The Pennsylvania Convention Center is a multi-use public facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which is designed to accommodate conventions, exhibitions, conferences and other events.-History:...

.