Ron Parr, one of Long Island’s most prolific builders and a real estate industry influential, died Wednesday after a brief illness. He was 88. 

As a principal of Ronkonkoma-based Parr Organization, Parr was responsible for the development of thousands of homes and millions of square feet of commercial properties on Long Island throughout his long career. 

Born in the Bronx, Parr was a whiz at math and science at P.S. 77 and dreamed of becoming an engineer because he liked to build things. He later earned a class medal for craftsmanship from the wood and metal shop at James Monroe High School. 

The young Parr joined his older brother Al’s home-building company called Lido Construction in the late 1940s. The Parr brothers went on to build thousands of homes on Long Island in the 1950s. 

Ron Parr launched the Parr Organization in 1962, with the firm offering everything from architectural services to interior design and financial services. Its first project was a firehouse in Lindenhurst. 

Parr turned his attention to industrial, institutional and multifamily development, creating the Brookhaven R&D Plaza industrial park in Yaphank and millions of square feet of industrial and office space in Ronkonkoma, where Long Island Business News became one of his earliest tenants more than 30 years ago. 

Instrumental in the redevelopment of Central Islip, Parr headed the public-private partnership with the Town of Islip that revitalized a blighted area. He built College Woods, with more than 500 homes and later the 560-unit Park Row townhome community, where most of the units were designated as affordable housing. 

The Parr Organization funded the $1.5 million master plan for the 800-acre New York Institute of Technology property in Central Islip in 1989, supplying the sewer and water infrastructure for much of the site. He later built the 182,000-square-foot Touro Law School on part of the property. 

More recently, Parr was instrumental in advancing the ongoing $210 million project to renovate and expand Jake’s 58 Casino Hotel in Islandia. Over the years, Parr has been a fixture on lists of most influential Long Islanders. 

“Ron was the most decent human being I’ve ever been involved with,” said his long-time friend and business partner Henry Schreiber. “He was a wonderful human being and very well liked. Our partnership was almost like a marriage.”
Often referred to as the “Builder with a Heart,” Parr was a long and generous supporter of Long Island charities, particularly the Cleary School for the Deaf in Nesconset, and the since shuttered Dowling College, where he was a longstanding board member. 

“I’ve been very fortunate,” Parr once told LIBN, “but the friendships I have are more rewarding than money.” 

Parr is survived by his wife Barbara and his son Ronald Jr., a Duke University professor. 

A memorial service is scheduled for 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17 at the Branch Funeral Home in Smithtown.