durst organization
1995: the durst organization main office moves to 1155 avenue of the americas .
12 february 2009: the durst organization main office moves to one bryant park .
glassdoor gives you an inside look at what it' s like to work at durst organization, including salaries, reviews, office photos, and more. this is the durst organization company profile. all content is posted anonymously by employees working at durst organization .
the durst organization establishes enduring relationships by developing sustainable workplaces and homes that benefit our environment .
news about durst organization, including commentary and archival articles published in the new york times .
members of the durst organization, from left, alexander durst, david neil, helena durst and kristoffer durst. behind them, the site for the company’s first foray outside manhattan .
20 february 1968: the durst organization acquires the east blockfront of broadway between 44th and 45th streets .
frank 57 west is durst organization’s 10 - story zinc - clad building on the far west side .
douglas durst, a real estate developer and the younger brother of robert durst, in the offices of the durst organization on the 49th floor of one bryant park in manhattan .
the durst organization purchased the historic building after the original developers said they “didn’t have the horsepower” to complete it .
about the durst organization the durst organization, founded in 1915 by joseph durst, is the owner, manager and builder of 13 million square feet of premier manhattan office towers and 1, 950 residential rental units with 3, 400 in development. the durst organization is recognized as a world leader in the development of high - performance and environmentally advanced commercial and residential buildings. urltoken
2013: the durst organization begins the green roof program, installing over 1 acre of green roofs throughout the portfolio .
i applied through an employee referral. i interviewed at durst organization (new york, ny) in january 2014 .
the durst organization’s hallets point project in queens, which relies partly on the defunct 421 - a tax abatement program .
but even as the family celebrates the founding of the durst organization 100 years ago by its patriarch, joseph durst, robert casts a long, dark shadow .
2014: the durst organization acquires a 90 percent stake in the halletts piont mixed - use development in astoria, queens .
that serves as the the bank' s global corporate headquarters as well as the corporate headquarters for the durst organization itself .
members of the durst organization, from left, alexander durst, david neil, helena durst and kristoffer durst. behind them is the site of their halletts point project, a sprawling, 2, 400 - unit complex on the east river in queens .
as cbs2’s kristine johnson reported, robert durst’s grandfather, austro - hungarian immigrant joseph durst, founded the durst organization after purchasing his first building – the century building at 1 w. 34th st. , in 1915 .
founded in 1915 by joseph durst, the durst organization is still owned and managed by the durst family. today, joseph’s grandchildren, jody and douglas, lead the organization, while the next generation works side by side with the company’s exceptional management, construction, finance, legal, leasing, and building services departments .
1912: joseph durst becomes a partner in the durst & rubin dress manufacturing business .
as the durst organization, now 100 years old, has expanded its multibillion - dollar business, robert durst’s life has taken a series of twists, from the bizarre to the criminal .
when douglas and jody durst took over management of the company in the early 1990s, they identified perhaps the most important element of this founding principle: integrating ecofriendly and sustainable practices into all aspects of the durst organization’s portfolio. since then, the durst organization has been a recognized leader and innovator in the field of sustainable building .
whatever the motivations, savings worth millions of dollars have been identified, though neither the durst organization nor the port authority would estimate the amount .
jordan barowitz, vice president of communications for the durst organization, said his firm only uses open - shop workers for its rental housing projects .
contact: chris addeo ion media 561. 682. 4210 chrisaddeo @ urltoken jordan barowitz the durst organization 212. 257. 6605 jbarowitz @ urltoken
with land scarce and costly, developers are turning to multiuse projects, as the durst organization is with its building on the avenue of the americas .
the name frank 57 west, which refers to durst organization ’s mixed - use building at 600 west 58th street, started out as a joke .
9 december 2010: a joint venture with spireworks, the durst organization illuminates the spires of 4 times square and one bryant park for the first time .
the durst organization went on to become, and remains, one of the oldest family - run and commercial and residential real estate companies in new york .
the durst organization, founded in 1915 by joseph durst, is the owner, manager and builder of 13 million square feet of premiere manhattan office towers and 1, 950 residential rental units with 3, 400 in development. the durst organization is recognized as a world leader in the development of high - performance and environmentally advanced commercial and residential buildings. urltoken
new york city has a long, storied tradition of families shaping its skyline. family - run businesses like the lefrak organization, tishman speyer, rudin management and the durst organization are local legends, known for taking on major development projects and holding on ...
if the result of all these changes is to lower the construction budget — something the durst organization has a strong financial incentive to do — that was not their purpose, said douglas durst, the chairman .
1970: 1133 avenue of the americas is completed, and the durst organization main office moves in. emery roth & sons designed the 45 - story building .
an article last sunday about the durst organization, the new york real estate company, misstated the age of jonathan durst, one of the company’s leaders, in some editions. he is 59, not 62 .
“historically, the durst organization has used union labor. unfortunately, it has become cost prohibitive for the construction of rental housing, ” barowitz said in a statement .
the durst organization, which owns the publisher’s former headquarters at 4 times square, has committed to preserving what counts as the architect frank gehry’s first new york city project .
joseph and rose durst founded their real estate business with a simple philosophy: “leave each place better than you found it. ” this has driven the durst organization to develop pioneering offices and residences for more than four generations .
robert durst’s father bypassed him, giving control of the family company to robert’s younger brother, douglas durst .
the first major foray outside of manhattan for the durst organization, halletts point is a 2. 4 million - square - foot project that will transform the waterfront of astoria, queens .
day - to - day green. the durst organization is building green and maintaining green, with programs such as carpet recycling, green offices, and a green supplies discount program for tenants .
robert alan durst was born on april 12, 1943, in new york city, to bernice and seymour durst. his grandfather joseph came to the united states from austria in 1902, with few possessions and even less money. by 1915, the durst patriarch had saved enough money to buy his first new york property, and in 1927 he incorporated the durst organization .
in 2006. since the durst organization joined the port authority of new york and new jersey in 2010 as the effective codeveloper of the project, it has revised the design in a number of ways .
10. public urination has tripped robert up on more than one occasion. in july 2014, durst was arrested when he exposed himself and urinated on a candy rack at a houston cvs. douglas durst recalls that his older brother’s fate with the durst organization may have been sealed when he peed in an uncle’s wastebasket. this piece of information may not help solve the kathleen durst case, but when it comes to robert durst, stranger things truly have happened .
seymour’s brother david durst shared douglas’s misgivings about robert, according to david’s son, jonathan durst, who joined the durst organization in 1984 after a career in the auto industry. “he’d be sitting in the family meetings on the edge of his chair, ” jonathan said of his father, “never knowing what bob would say or do. ”
18 april 2013: the new york city department of sanitation and the durst organization announce that the helena is the first in the city to offer its residents regular food scrap collection through the city’s organics collection program .
green roof initiative. the durst organization has installed three acres of green roofs, plazas, terraces and gradens across its portfolio. to learn more, see the video created by the high school for environmental studies .
the 32 - story, tapered tetrahedron - shaped structure located along 12th avenue along the hudson river waterfront optimizes the number of units with views of the hudson river while preserving durst organization’s adjacent helena 57west tower’s line of site .
1987: led by douglas durst, the durst family partners with the mcenroe family to start an organic farm with a large composting facility .
robert durst’s father, seymour durst, was also the founder of the old york library, a collection devoted to new york city history .
the new image released by the skyscraper’s owners, the port authority and the durst organization, shows for the first time how its fortified base — a cube 185 - feet on each side — will look to people arriving for work .
2011: the durst family donates the seymour b. durst old york library collection to the avery architectural and fine arts library at columbia university .
frank durst is the grandson of the company’s chairman douglas durst and the son of daughter helena and is just a 4 - year - old .
at 733 third avenue was erected nearly five and a half decades ago. also designed by emory roth & sons, the durst organization acquired the site through multiple transactions spanning a decade prior to the building' s initial rise in 1959 .
remarkably, the partnership to create the unique structure came about from a less - than - cordial meeting. douglas durst, the chairman of durst organization, had completed a presentation about sustainability in copenhagen when he was approached by danish architect bjarke ingels. mr. ingels asked him why his buildings look like buildings .
1944: the durst organization acquires 205 east 42nd street. constructed in 1927, the building was designed by starett and van vleck, an architecture firm specializing in large new york city department stores such as saks fifth avenue and lord & taylor .
after graduating from the university of california, douglas hoped to become a diplomat. initially, he worked part time at the durst organization while attending new york university at night. it would be years before he got serious about the family business .
an earlier version of this article misstated the title of the hbo documentary on the durst brothers. it is “the jinx: the life and deaths of robert durst, ” not “jinxed: the life and deaths of robert durst. ”
in certain cases, stalled or struggling projects present opportunities for other developers, lefkowitz noted. he would know, having represented the durst organization in its recent acquisition of property markets group and kamran hakim’s queen plaza park development site in long island city, queens .
as developers, mr. durst and his brothers in the durst organization built first on the east side and then on or near the avenue of the americas in the west 40' s, on sites assembled by seymour durst. the west side buildings were the fulfillment of his expectation 25 years ago that manhattan growth would move to west midtown from east midtown, where his father, joseph, was active before him .
19 march 1945: the hebrew free loan society elects joseph durst as president .
robert durst' s first wife, kathie, who vanished in 1982, is presumed dead. douglas durst says he is certain that his brother killed her .
in the early 1990s, the privately held durst organization made a key investment in a corner of times square and landed a key tenant, publisher conde nast, that brought cachet to a troubled redevelopment area that had not been considered a prime market for office tenants .
it’s been a long time coming considering the durst organization has held the lease on the property since 1999. jordan barowitz, the spokesman for durst organization, recalls all of the concepts that have been considered for the site. “we’ve considered a data center, an office building, a school, a hotel and a medical services building as well as two rezoning efforts in the last 16 years, ” mr. barowitz said. “we realized that residential would work best because of its location; and we needed an iconic structure. ”
4. like cain, robert was no fan of his younger brother. in an interview with the new york times, douglas durst revealed that he and his brother’s long - standing enmity extended to keeping weapons—a plumber’s wrench for robert, a piece of pipe for douglas—close at hand in their durst organization offices during the 1990s. father seymour durst eventually replaced eldest son robert with doug as designated successor. robert subsequently left the company .
“we are thrilled to welcome sailthru to one world trade center, ” said jonathan (jody) durst, president of the durst organization. “our team worked closely with sailthru to select a prebuilt space that met the needs of their growing technology company. they will be an excellent addition to our community of innovative, creative and sector leading tenants. ”
douglas durst is the chairman of the durst organization, one of the most powerful companies in manhattan real estate for almost a century. durst' s grandfather joseph started the company. his father seymour then ran it. after he died in 1995, douglas took over the reins. he is known for developing eco friendly buildings, like the conde nast building at 4 times square and the bank of america building at 1 bryant park. but in the past year, durst has given up the title of co - president .
the durst organization partnered with fetner to build the epic, a 58 - story, 458 - unit rental building near penn station, in 2006. the building was designed by slce and currently features apartments ranging in price from $ 3, 195 to $ 7, 995 .
7 april 1930: joseph durst joins the executive committee of the jewish education association .
20 january 1941: joseph durst joins the board of the hebrew free loan society .
1989: seymour b. durst installs the national debt clock on west 42nd street .
upset as douglas durst is about the documentary, he detected a mordantly bright side .
jordan barowitz, a spokesman for the durst organization, a large developer, said the second phase of a 2, 400 - unit rental complex called hallets point that the company is building in astoria, queens, was in jeopardy if the 421 - a program was not revived .
the durst organization was not a developer — erecting buildings from the ground up — until the second generation, when the brothers seymour, royal and david moved into the business after world war ii. (joseph’s other two children, edwin and alma, did not join the company. )
the durst organization wants to turn the big apple into a green apple. the company develops, owns, and manages commercial real estate in midtown manhattan; its portfolio includes more than eight million sq. ft. of commercial space. it is also a leader in developing ...
the durst organization, in partnership with zuberry associates llc, restored 11 18th - century buildings and three modern buildings on front street between beekman street and peck slip in the seaport in 2005, with architect cook + fox designing. the complex totals 95 rental apartments with 13 retail spaces .
correction: june 13, 2012 an earlier version of this post transposed the credits for the pair of renderings showing the entire 1 world trade center tower. the rendering on the left is by skidmore, owings & merrill / dbox; the one on the right is from the durst organization .
this collection of new york city documents and memorabilia became a lifelong passion of seymour durst .
the swap was made, douglas durst said, after robert urinated in an uncle’s wastebasket .
everyone with the durst organization plays a role in realizing the company’s mission statement: we build, own, and operate many of the world’s most innovative and efficient buildings. we create value for our tenants and partners by developing sustainable residential and commercial properties in which people live, work, and thrive .
the durst organization is planning another residential project on the same block as the tetrahedron and the helena, one street up on 58th. this one is being designed by studio v and will feature 65 apartments (12 of which will be affordable). it is expected to be completed in late 2016 .
the durst organization, which is led by douglas durst, 70, and his cousin jonathan durst, 59, is currently building four residential developments worth $ 2. 7 billion that will significantly enlarge their business and portfolio of 11 skyscrapers. the projects include the 32 - story via 57, whose dramatic, pyramidal shape stands out on the hudson river waterfront, and halletts point, a sprawling, seven - building, 2, 400 - unit complex on the east river in queens .
that, douglas durst said, was when he came up with a theory about the peculiar matter of his brother’s dogs in late 1981, just before kathie durst vanished in january 1982 .
west palm beach, fla. , may 09, 2017 (globe newswire) - - ion media, together with the durst organization and the port authority of new york and new jersey, announced today that it will relocate its new york city broadcast television operations to one world trade center in downtown manhattan .
8 may 1928: joseph durst joins the committee of one hundred of the jewish education association .
1954: the hebrew free loan society re - elects joseph durst for a tenth consecutive term .
before the necessary technology even existed, seymour durst conceived of this
deficit alarm
clock .
that failed venture spurred durst to move to newfoundland with his wife and young family. durst says they lived there for almost a year, until the wood fired hot water heater blew up .
douglas durst recalled the last time he saw and spoke with his troubled older brother, robert .
douglas durst released a statement that did not express any support at all for his estranged brother .
the durst organization website describes the 1989 development of the office tower at 114 west 47th street as
a passing of the torch from the second generation of durst family members involved with the company to the third ,
which means that douglas durst and his cousin jody developed it along with douglas' s father seymor and seymour' s brothers roy and david. shortly thereafter, the keys to the kingdom were officially handed over to douglas, permanently fracturing the family' s relationship with older brother robert .
of his brother, with whom he has had a tempestuous relationship since they were boys, douglas would say very little. “bob has always been a burden for me and my immediate family, ” he said, “but it has not impacted our relations with others or the durst organization’s ability to do business. ”
“we are thrilled to welcome ion media to one world trade center’s broadcast facility, ” said john lyons, assistant vice president and director of broadcast communications of the durst organization. “the facility was designed with state - of - the - art equipment and also has the infrastructure in place for future broadcasting technological advancements. ”
first as a member and later as president of the family real - estate firm, the durst organization, mr. durst became perhaps the leading assembler of the parcels of land on which office buildings were developed in east and west midtown over the last 40 years .
i' ve spent most of my life buying buildings and canceling leases and negotiating to get tenants out ,
he once said in an interview .
without a doubt the most well - known building that the durst organization has developed (and one of the most well - known buildings anywhere) is one world trade center, which was developed by the port authority with durst joining on as a co - developer in 2010. at 104 stories and 1, 776 feet, it stands as the tallest building in the western hemisphere and the fourth tallest in the world .
robert and his first wife, kathie durst, ran a health food store in vermont before returning to new york, where they kept several residences, including one near douglas durst’s home in westchester .
developed by the port authority of new york and new jersey – and managed, operated and leased by the durst organization, one world trade center is redefining lower manhattan’s new york skyline. standing at a symbolic 1, 776 feet tall, the architectural and engineering marvel is an ever - present symbol of renewal and hope .
1915: joseph durst buys his first building, the century building, at one west 34th street .
27 july 1936: joseph durst acquires the park hill theatre and store building in yonkers, ny .
the durst organization built the nation' s first green skyscraper, four times square, and one of the world' s most advanced commercial towers, one bryant park. today, the company owns and manages more than 13 million square feet of class a manhattan office space, and continues to set new standards for sustainable commercial buildings .
13 december 1926: joseph durst acquires temple emanu - el, located at fifth avenue and 43rd street .
1978: the real estate board of new york (rebny) elects seymour b. durst as chairman .
mr. durst had a stroke on may 12 and did not regain consciousness, said his son douglas .
this black granite landmark is one of eight durst commercial buildings actively tracking its energy performance with energy star .
joseph durst introduced his sons to the family business when he acquired this classic midtown office building in 1944 .
the durst family is worth at least $ 4 billion, according to the forbes list of richest americans .
“we are relieved and also grateful to everyone who assisted in the arrest of robert durst, ” douglas durst said in the statement. “we hope he will finally be held accountable for all he has done. ”
the seymour b. durst old york library is now part of the renowned collections of the avery architectural & fine arts library. with generous support from the durst organization, avery is engaged in a multi - year cataloging and digitization project that will make the old york library collection available online. the project honors seymour durst’s important tradition of collection - building and when accomplished, will facilitate active use of the collection in curricular and research activities, as well as provide online access for public audiences interested in new york’s history, urban planning, and real estate development .
bruce eichner has been unable to secure financing to build a 680 - unit rental in east harlem and has defaulted on the loan he took out to purchase the site, according to a report in the wall street journal. in response, the durst organization, which purchased the debt from the original lender, has tentatively scheduled a foreclosure for later this month .
not surprisingly, durst heard a lot of real estate talk when he was young. what he didn' t hear was a maternal voice. when he was only five years old, durst' s mother committed suicide .
after he graduated from scarsdale high school, durst moved to pennsylvania to study business and economics at lehigh university .
that’s the outline of durst’s ongoing saga. but here are some of the more bizarre details of his story :
& apos; the lost wife of robert durst & apos; premieres on november 4th at 8 / 7c .
as robert durst awaits trial for the 2000 murder of friend susan berman, what some believe to be his original sin gets an airing in the lifetime movie “the lost wife of robert durst, ” which premieres on saturday. the film imagines the events leading up to the 1982 disappearance of the notorious real estate scion’s first wife kathleen durst .
1963: roy durst manages the installation of central air - conditioning at a durst office tower, allowing for hot & cold air to be supplied simultaneously. this building was the first in new york to offer this tenant amenity .
from the durst gift, gsapp established the durst family fund for research, to support a series of annual projects at gsapp that link aspects of the old york image collection to an important question about the future of global cities .
mr. jarecki, who has spent much of the last decade pursuing the durst story, said last week that he had offered to go through his research with douglas durst and genuinely wanted to include his perspective in the documentary .
2002: led by douglas durst, the durst family partnered with the new york water taxi, a durst affiliate. the new york water taxi offers commuter and sightseeing service to points in new york harbor, along the hudson river and east river. on january 12, 2017, new york water taxi is acquired by new york cruise lines .
since the durst organization stepped in three years ago to manage the building and leasing of new york' s symbol of post - 9 / 11 recovery, only six tenants have signed up for space. come november, when the building opens and magazine publisher condé nast moves in, the tower will be just 60% leased, durst says. to boost that low figure the asking price for the tower' s middle floors recently dropped by 10% , to $ 69 per square foot .
these consequences came only hours after sunday’s finale of an hbo documentary detailing his life of privilege and links to three deaths: berman; durst’s wife in westchester county, kathleen durst; and morris black, an elderly neighbor in texas .
1945: roy durst earns a bronze star medal from the united states army for his military service in world war ii .
the first glass - faced structure on 42nd street, this durst family milestone has been thorougly renovated for the 21st century .
this modern black edifice on the northeast corner of 42nd street and third avenue continued the durst - led redevelopment of midtown .
his brother robert durst married kathleen mccormack and joined the family business in 1973 but was an intermittent presence at the office .
when you become a member of rebny, you have exclusive access to everything this influential organization has to offer, including broker exclusives, informative resources, real estate research and legal help, educational discounts, networking opportunities with the industry’s elite, specialized certifications and career - changing awards .
one world trade center sets new standards of design, construction, sustainability and beauty and heralds the revitalization of lower manhattan. managed, operated, and leased by the durst organization and built by the port authority of new york and new jersey, one world trade center is an icon of new york' s skyline, a center of innovation and creativity, and the most recognized office address in the world .
durst dropped out of ucla in 1969 and returned to new york, where he met dental hygienist kathleen mccormack in 1971. they soon moved in together and married in 1973, a seemingly happy couple. however, durst became increasingly possessive and abusive toward kathleen, until she went missing in early 1982. investigators questioned durst and followed various leads, but never found his wife .
the durst' s family tale begins with joseph durst, a tailor, who traveled from what is now poland in 1902 and arrived in new york with three dollars to his name. within a decade he was a partner at dressmaker durst & rubin. the family legacy first took shape in 1915, when he bought his first building, in manhattan' s garment district .
12 november 1977: the “statements in steel” show opens at the ingber gallery in new york, featuring artwork by david durst .
with the headline: seymour b. durst, real - estate developer who led growth on west side, dies at 81 .
this energy star - qualified office tower represents a passing of the torch from the second to the third generation of durst builders .
lawyers are battling over the release of a letter that says statements by mr. durst were “replete with omissions and inaccuracies. ”
since 1973, the city has also owned two vacant lots on park avenue that sit between the “hotel” and durst’s new lot .
“there’s no doubt in my mind that if he had the opportunity to kill me, he would, ” douglas durst said .
for over 100 years, the durst organization has been a family - run business dedicated to the principles of innovation, integrity, community, and sustainability. we develop, build, own, and manage premier office towers and residential buildings that set new standards in environmental responsibility and user efficiency. our enduring relationships with our tenants and partners are critical to our success and have made us generations of builders, building for generations .
the collection provides a basis for research in all aspects of urban planning, reflecting seymour durst’s interests in transportation systems, waterways, the urban grid, and parklands. he was particularly interested in the city at the human scale—as habitable space. collection themes such as social history and services, government, theater, arts and architectural development are also apparent in the collection. his founding principles (sustainability, innovation, integrity, and community) continue to guide the durst organization leadership in environmentally responsible building practices and inform the company’s long - term approach to development .
13 november 1928: joseph durst purchases his first residential property, a fifteen - story apartment building at fifth avenue and 85th street .
1972: joseph durst serves his final term as president of the hebrew free loan society, for a total of 27 consecutive years .
a testament to the durst family' s perseverance and foresight, this office tower required a dozen separate transactions before construction could begin .
file - - robert durst appears in court in galveston, texas, in 2003. (credit: james nielsen / getty images) file - - robert durst appears in court in galveston, texas, in 2003. (credit: james nielsen / getty images )
developer douglas durst at a november 2014 press conference announcing the opening of one world trade center. (andrew burton / getty images )
the durst organization and the port authority of new york and new jersey today announced that sailthru, inc. has signed a five - year lease for a 27, 320 square foot prebuilt suite at one world trade center. sailthru joins a growing community of technology and media firms at one world trade center including: xad, inc. , high 5 games, infosys, symphony communications, kensho technologies, piano, itidata, urltoken and easysoft
besides douglas, of manhattan, mr. durst is survived by two other sons, robert, of manhattan, and thomas g. , of ross, calif. ; a daughter, mrs. wendy durst kreeger of larchmont, n. y. ; a sister, alma durst askin of manhattan; a brother, david m. , of chappaqua, n. y. , and eight grandchildren .
“we wanted to create as much plaza as possible, ” mr. durst said. “we didn’t see that the steps added anything, because most people don’t come in from the west. ” durst executives also questioned the wisdom of using stainless steel as a walking surface .
one world trade center’s 361, 668 square foot prebuilt program occupies nine floors with suites ranging in size from 2, 100 to 27, 320 rsf. twenty - five tenants have joined the program and the space is 50% leased with 20 units remaining. last year the durst organization expanded their successful prebuilt program at one world trade center, which attracts tenants in the market for offices between 4, 500 to 27, 000 square feet .
founded in 1915, the durst organization is a widely respected developer, owner, and manager of commercial properties in manhattan. the company helped establish the east side of midtown as a commercial district with a series of office buildings built along third avenue in the 1950s and 1960s, and led the transformation of sixth avenue into manhattan' s premier corporate thoroughfare in the 1970s. all these buildings have been thoroughly renovated for improved energy efficiency and enhanced aesthetics .
barry diller says the real estate tycoon douglas durst is behind the fight against his effort to build a park on a hudson river pier .
in 1965, with a degree in economics in hand, durst headed west and enrolled in a doctoral program at ucla. it was there he became friends with susan berman, the daughter of a las vegas mobster and a figure who would appear later in durst’s sordid timeline .
“i am pretty certain that until the series is over, ” mr. durst said, “he is not going to kill me. ”
kathie durst, a medical student, disappeared in 1982, after her marriage with robert durst had become chronically contentious. she is now presumed dead. at the time, douglas said, he suspected his brother had been involved but was uncertain. the authorities have never charged him .
“we believe one world commons will be an outstanding amenity for our tenants at one world trade center, ” said eric engelhardt, vice president of the durst organization. “the tenants of one wtc want to come together in a unique, innovative and collaborative space. one world commons will be a place for tenants to meet with colleagues and other tenants to collaborate, network, or just grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the breathtaking views from the 64th floor. ”
durst organization also owns 1, 250 high - end apartments and is developing 1, 100 more units, all in manhattan. a few years ago, the firm bought the debt of a building in a then - unglamorous area of midtown known as koreatown. it now is set to open a mixed - use development with 375 apartments, where two - bedroom units will be priced at about $ 8, 500 a month, said jordan barowitz, a company spokesman .
in 2011, the durst family made a gift to columbia university, together with the donation of the seymour b. durst old york library to the avery architectural & fine arts library. the gift supports programs in the graduate school of architecture, planning and preservation and in the avery library .
update: durst was arrested saturday in connection to the murder of his friend, and in the sunday hbo finale was caught on tape confessing to killing
all of them .
yikes. what better time, then, to take stock of all the buildings the members of his family have made possibledespite all the drama, and with minimal involvement from the man one family member called a
true psychopath
from one world trade center to bjarke ingels' s under - construction rental pyramid along the west side highway. here now, the wide - ranging reach of the durst organization, mapped. jeremiah budin and zoe rosenberg
1973: seymour durst and financier irving kahn establish the new york city job and career center to teach job skills to the city’s high school students .
a newspaper ad from 1915 characterizes his approach: “the new durst way: no salesmen! no unnecessary expenses. just plain, solid merchandise. ”
seymour b. durst in 1969. he died in 1995, less than six months after his older son, robert, stopped communicating with him .
soft - spoken and courtly, douglas durst takes a special interest in environmental projects and owns one of the largest organic farms in new york state .
the durst family, who helped revitalize times square, is planning a vast development in queens, a sign of the seemingly insatiable demand for luxury housing .
mr. durst said that was not going to happen. “while i cannot choose my brother, i can choose who interviews me, ” he said .
but robert durst became estranged from the family in the early 1990s, and his name does not appear at all on a timeline of the family company .
durst similarly bought bruce eichner ’s east harlem development site at 1800 park avenue last year, purchasing it for $ 91 million. durst first acquired around $ 100 million of the property’s debt and began foreclosure proceedings before the two parties agreed to a sale. eichner bought the site in 2013 for $ 66 million .
“convene is extremely proud to be partnering with the durst organization and the port authority to operate one world commons, ” said ryan simonetti, co - founder and ceo of convene. “we believe that providing amenities and hospitality services to building tenants that ultimately help improve and transform the workplace experience is the future of commercial real estate. we are thrilled to be a part of this new service offering at one world trade center and look forward to bringing a sense of place and community to tenants of the building. ”
durst originally sought what would have been, in essence, a construction management fee of $ 35 million for what it envisioned as five years of work. the authority was unwilling to pay that amount. instead, a deal was negotiated under which durst would receive a $ 15 million fee and be entitled to a percentage of any “base building changes that result in net economic benefit to the project” — cost savings, in other words — that durst had initiated and recommended .
so it seems like an encouraging sign that 1 wtc, which is scheduled to open in 2014, passed the 50 - percent occupancy mark earlier this summer. much of that has gone to the publisher conde nast, which will leave times square to anchor the building, taking about a third of its office space for itself. the durst organization, a developer that has a stake in the building, recently told bloomberg businessweek that it expects to have it
fully rented by the date of 2017, 2018 .
1902: joseph durst, a tailor from gorlice, austria (present - day poland), arrives in the united states with three dollars to his name .
11 september 1993: ruth w. messinger, president of the borough of manhattan, city of new york, issues a proclamation for “seymour durst day. ”
this late - sixties classic represents the durst family' s turning from east side to west, from the transformation of third avenue to the revitalization of sixth .
other family members have barred their homes to mr. durst, whose first wife disappeared without a trace and who was acquitted of killing a neighbor in texas .
( this summer, mr. durst had the lower part of his right leg amputated, ending a lifetime of pain. he now uses a prosthesis. )
but no such developments have occurred in the kathleen durst cold case; there is not even proof that a murder occurred. the lost wife of robert durst, which is based on the book a deadly secret: the bizarre and chilling story of robert durst by investigative journalist matt birbeck, may not solve the mystery. but by dramatizing the case (with katherine mcphee cast in the role of kathleen and daniel gillies as robert), it should further fan the speculative flames .
impressed with the brashness of mr. ingels, mr. durst toured the architect’s studio in denmark in 2010 and was impressed with his unconventional approach to design .
1969: 825 third avenue, a 40 - story building designed by emery roth & sons, is completed. it is the last durst project on third avenue .
for now, jordan barowitz, a spokesman for durst, would only say about the eastern site, “we purchased it to protect our investment across the street. ”
at osteria al doge on west 44th street, near times square, he, his father, seymour b. durst, his uncle and two of his cousins ordered their customary virgin marys and waited for douglas’s older brother, robert a. durst, who had been passed over in the transition from the family’s second to third generation .
how robert would react to the change was a source of anxiety to seymour durst. “he’d had many discussions with me about how he was going to talk to bob about this, ” douglas durst said. “that, like any older brother, that he would be slighted by the younger brother stepping up, so to speak. ”
in 2006, robert durst accepted $ 65 million for his interest in the family trust and no longer has any legal claim to it. last month, after winning the trespassing case in new york, mr. durst pleaded no contest to urinating on the checkout display at a cvs store in texas and paid a $ 500 fine .
in winning the bid, durst became a co - investor with the port authority of new york and new jersey, the bi - state agency that built the giant office complex in the 1960s and struggled to redevelop the area. durst has taken over responsibility for construction, leasing and management of the 1, 776 - foot tower .
1968: seymour b. durst purchases henry miller’s theater at 124 west 43rd street, later part of the site of the bank of america tower at one bryant park .
mr. de blasio called douglas durst, who has been bankrolling lawsuits against the proposed cultural pier, to ask him to withdraw, as a way of opening talks .
mr. durst oversaw construction of eight skyscrapers over the course of three decades, and combined his talent as an engineer with his love of art to create whimsical sculptures .
the relationship between mr. durst and debrah lee charatan, who supported him once before when he was accused of murder, has taken a sharp turn in recent years .
today, 4 times square is an anchor for the area' s resurgence and part of the durst company' s 13 - million - square - foot office portfolio .
for other durst development one world trade center, was built in the 1990s. those not privy to buildings may recognize it as the location for the fictional book and movie
on the sites that the durst organization itself developed now stand 1133 avenue of the americas, on the west blockfront from 43d to 44th street, 1155 avenue of the americas, on the west blockfront from 44th to 45th street, and 114 west 47th street. they are part of a portfolio of 4. 5 million square feet of office buildings owned by the dursts. in addition, the firm' s holdings include 60 residential buildings with 500 apartments and an assortment of commercial buildings, nearly all on land that the dursts view as potential redevelopment sites .
fifteen midtown sites that seymour durst assembled were redeveloped by other builders. when mr. durst decided to hold an assemblage but had no quick prospect of finding a tenant for a new building, he would sometimes clear the site and build small stores - - he called them
taxpayers
- - to produce quick revenue until the market turned up .
but the question of succession became contentious for the dursts. it led to robert durst’s severing his ties to the family and getting a $ 65 million payout from its trust .
i worked at peppy' s pizza parlor, which was interesting' cause all the hells angels hung out there. it was a little intimidating ,
recalls durst .
as detailed in the 2015 hbo documentary series the jinx: the life and deaths of robert durst, durst was later tried and found not guilty of murder in yet another violent death, that of his neighbor in galveston, texas. he seemed to have a knack for walking away from any terrible act, but cooperating with jinx filmmaker andrew jarecki proved to be his undoing. caught on tape muttering “killed them all, of course, ” durst soon was arrested and charged with berman’s death, and is currently awaiting trial .
“clearly there are a number of situations where land was bought at top - of - the - market prices, where that is not looking as attractive as it once was, ” said scott singer, the president of the singer & bassuk organization. “and i think that how that plays out will be very much determined by the staying power of the developer and how the capital stack is constructed. ”
durst & apos; s twisted life story caught the attention of director andrew jarecki, whose 2010 film all good things, starring ryan gosling, presented a barely dramatized portrayal of the troubled millionaire. jarecki later directed and co - wrote the jinx: the life and deaths of robert durst, a six - part hbo documentary culled from hours of interviews .
“i just want to find out what happened to my sister, ” mary mccormack hughes said in a rare interview about robert durst and the death of his first wife, kathie .
at the crux of his distress over the documentary, mr. durst said, is what he fears will be a false portrayal of the brothers’ father, relying on robert’s narrative .
the durst family is part of a closed circle of real estate owners and operators with roots dating to the early 20th century who still dominate manhattan' s prime office market today .
subsequently, mr. durst hired mr. ingels to develop something special for the via 57west site. the architect envisioned a structure that would maximize light in all of the apartments .
when asked why he would dare undetake such a dynamic project in this market, cousin and co - conspirator jody durst reponded ,
a strong back and a weak mind .
9. was robert also a dogslayer? with interest revived in kathleen durst’s disappearance and presumed murder, douglas durst revealed a theory in his times interview. according to his account, robert had a succession of seven alaskan malamutes (all named igor) who mysteriously died over the months leading to kathleen’s disappearance. could these have been dry runs for the big event?
the durst organization is one of the oldest family-run commercial and residential real estate companies in new york city . established in 1915 , the company is owned and operated by the third generation of the durst family . as of 2014 , it owns and manages more than 8.5 million square feet of class a office space in midtown manhattan and over 1 million square feet of luxury residential rentals . it is a member of rebny . 
the durst organization is one of the oldest family-run commercial and residential real estate companies in new york city. established in 1915, the company is owned and operated by the third generation of the durst family. as of 2014, it owns and manages more than 8.5 million square feet of class a office space in midtown manhattan and over 1 million square feet of luxury residential rentals. it is a member of rebny.
the durst organization is one of the oldest family-run commercial and residential real estate companies in new york city. established in 1915, the company is owned and operated by the third generation of the durst family. as of 2014, it owns and manages more than 8.5 million square feet of class a office space in midtown manhattan and over 1 million square feet of luxury residential rentals. it is a member of rebny.