James G. Houlihan
NEW YORK CITY—James G. Houlihan, a resident of Bronxville, NY and Palm Beach, FL died peacefully at his home the morning of Saturday, March 2, at the age of 95. Known as “Jim,” he was the third generation in his family's business. Houlihan-Parnes Realtors, LLC was founded in 1891 by his grandfather Dan Houlihan who immigrated to the US from Ireland.
Jim was the only child of James A. Houlihan and Genevieve McConnell Houlihan. For 66 years, he was married to Mary Murray (“May”) who passed away in February last year. He is survived by their six children and their spouses, James J. Houlihan (Patricia), John G. Houlihan (Judy), William A. Houlihan (Claire), Mary H. Coleman (James), Thomas P. Houlihan (Genevieve), and Patricia MacRae (David). He is also survived by 18 grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
Jim joined his family's real estate business in 1955 and was a partner from 1960 to 2017. In 1967, he and his cousin Dan merged their business with Howard Parnes, forming the company as it is known today.
Headquartered in White Plains, NY, Houlihan-Parnes Realtors has assets in 18 states with an aggregate gross asset value of over $2.5 billion. The portfolio comprises more than 8.5 million square feet of office, retail, industrial and mixed-use properties and approximately 25,000 multifamily units. Fourth and fifth generation Houlihan family members manage and operate the business. It handles acquisitions, property and construction management, consulting services, and leasing and mortgage brokerage. GHP Office Realty is an affiliate of Houlihan-Parnes.
Jim served as president of the Bronx Board of Realtors, president of the New York State Association of Realtors and regional VP of the National Association of Realtors. Jim had also served as the chairman of the finance committee of the Real Estate Board of New York.
Jim grew up in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx and graduated from All Hallows High School. He served in the US Army including in the Signal Corp under General Douglas MacArthur's overall command. His service included being part of Day One invasions of Leyte and Luzon in the Philippines and alongside fellow troops freeing the American prisoners at Manila College. His military duties extended to Okinawa and in Korea following the surrender of Japan.
After graduating from Manhattan College, Jim received a master's degree in urban land economics from Columbia University School of Business. His first job in real estate began in 1948 with Leonard Beck, advisor to the Rockefeller and Astor families.
The wake will held on Thursday, March 7 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm and 6:00 to 9:00 pm at Fred H. McGrath & Son Funeral Home at 20 Cedar St., Bronxville, NY. The funeral mass will be held on Friday, March 8 at 10:45 am at St. Joseph's Church, 15 Cedar St. in Bronxville, NY.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be given to the Phyllis F. Albstein Fund for Brain Science at John Hopkins University.
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Betsy Kim
Betsy Kim was the bureau chief, East Coast, and New York City reporter for Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com. As a lawyer and journalist, Betsy has worked as the director of editorial and content for LexisNexis Lawyers.com, a TV/multi-media journalist for NBC and CBS affiliated TV stations in the Midwest, and an associate producer at Court TV.
