Richard E. Jacobs, a major real estate developer, particularly of shopping malls, who became the primary owner of the Cleveland Indians in 1986 and helped steer the team out of decades in the doldrums, died Friday at his home in Lakewood, Ohio. He was 83. The death was confirmed by Tom Novack, the comptroller of Jacobs' real estate company, the Richard E. Jacobs Group. The Cleveland Indians had been a laughingstock of the American League since the 1960s, playing -- and mostly losing -- before dwindling crowds in the cavernous Municipal Stadium. They had a feeble .464 winning percentage from 1960 to 1993. Jacobs and his brother, David, bought the Indians from the O'Neill family for $35 million in 1986. The sale stemmed talk that the team would leave town. The next year, Cleveland finished seventh in the American League East. It was not until the Indians left the old stadium in 1994 for the new, publicly financed Jacobs Field, with its 43,368 seats and 132 luxury suites, that their fortunes began to change. A year later, the Indians won the pennant, their first since 1954, but lost the World Series to the Atlanta Braves in six games. Cleveland won the pennant again in 1997, but lost the championship to the Florida Marlins in seven games. Richard Jacobs, who preferred to be called Dick, sold the Indians in 2001; his brother died in 1992. Jacobs' survivors include his son, Jeffrey; two daughters, Nancy Jacobs and Marilyn Pryer; and 11 grandchildren. Dick Jacobs was born in Akron, Ohio, in 1925. His first job was as a 13-year-old potato peeler at a drive-in restaurant in Akron. After graduating from high school in 1943, he served in the Army during World War II. He graduated from Indiana University in 1949 with a degree in business administration and soon was working at a development company in Akron. The Jacobs brothers first made their mark in real estate. They started a general contracting company, building small strip malls, in 1955. By 1992, the Jacobs Group ranked fourth in the nation in the development and management of enclosed malls. It owned 40 regional malls in 16 states, mostly in the Midwest and Southeast, as well as 31 Wendy's fast-food restaurants and several Marriott hotels. The company also played a significant role in the revival of downtown Cleveland. In 1987, it built the Galleria at Erieview, the first new retail center to open in the downtown area in 50 years. In 1991, it completed the Key Tower, a 57-story granite office building on the city's Public Square that was designed by Cesar Pelli. It is the tallest building between New York and Chicago. 