Roy Simon, a Delray Beach visionary, has died at the age of 93.
The architect was the founder of the Delray Beach DDA, an organization that is now headed by his daughter, Laura Simon, as well as the Delray Beach Historical Society. A press release sent out by the DDA noted that he died surrounded by family on Aug. 14.
“My father’s passion and commitment to his hometown and, most of all, the DDA is incredible. There was not a day that went by where he did not ask how Downtown Delray and the DDA were doing, along with sharing what we should be doing to help downtown prosper,” Laura said in a press release.
Simon called the Lake Ida neighborhood home for more than 65 years; his favorite restaurant was Green Owl, and DDA staffers remembered how he would honk as he drove past the office. He married his wife, Beth, in 1961, and they had three children, Michael, Laura and Chris, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Beth died in 2023.
Delray Beach natives, Simon’s family immigrated from Lebanon and settled in the community in 1912. Outside their home was a dirt road that would one day become buzzing Atlantic Avenue. Simon attended Delray Beach Elementary and High School (now a part of Old School Square), and in 1959, he opened the doors to his firm. He was the mastermind behind Pompey Park, the building that now houses Urban Outfitters on Atlantic Avenue, Trinity Lutheran Church, St. Vincent’s Catholic Church, and the now-demolished Atlantic Plaza.
Winnie Diggans Edwards, the executive director of the Delray Beach Historical Society, said that Simon was woven into the city’s fabric. Her father grew up with Simon, and as an adult, she got to work with Simon through the society. Seven years ago, he and his brothers donated $25,000 to the museum for an oral history project to ensure the early days of Delray Beach are never forgotten.
“I’ve always sort of referred to him as our north star,” she says. “He’s always been our leader; we could always go to him to get questions answered about historical figures in our past and different places in town.”
A cheerleader for Delray Beach, he founded the DDA in 1971 with the mission to elevate and enhance the downtown corridor. Simon was a champion for historical preservation, and in 1987 he was a part of a local task force to protect his former schools, leading to the formation of Old School Square. In 2011, Simon and his daughter worked together through the DDA to plan Delray Beach’s centennial.
Outside of founding and (twice) chairing the DDA board, Simon was active on a number of boards, including the city’s Code Enforcement Board, Community Appearance Board, Planning and Zoning Board, and Zoning Board of Adjustments. He was vice president and two-time president of the Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce, and a former trustee and board member of the Old School Square Historic Preservation Project. He was active with the Delray Beach Historical Society, serving as its first secretary in 1964, as a board member for 42 years, and as a trustee since 1977. The Rotary Club, of which he was a member, awarded him the Service above Self award.
