Joseph Durst

Joseph Durst was an American real estate developer, founder of the Durst Organization, and patriarch of the Durst family.

Early life

Born to a Jewish family, Durst immigrated to the US from Gorlice, Galicia, Austria-Hungary in 1902 with three dollars to his name. He worked as a tailor in New York City and in 1912, he became a full partner in the dress manufacturer, Durst & Rubin. Using the profits from his business, he invested in real estate, purchasing his first building in 1915, the Century Building. In 1926, he acquired the original Temple Emanu-El from Benjamin Winter Sr., demolishing it in 1927 to build a commercial building. In 1927, he formed the Durst Organization.

Acquisitions and development

Thereafter, the Durst Organization continued to make selective acquisitions including:

In 1929, his first residential building ;
In 1936, the Park Hill Theater and store in Yonkers, New York;
In 1944, 205 East 42nd Street.

Later he shifted the focus of the company from primarily real estate management to new construction and development. He assembled the parcels for and completed the following buildings :

In 1958, a 29-story building at 200 East 42nd Street ;
In 1961, the 24-story 733 Third Avenue;
In 1966, the 32-story, 201 East 42nd Street.
In 1968, they purchased Henry Miller's Theatre and the entire block facing Broadway between 44th and 45th Streets;
In 1969, the 40-story 825 Third Avenue;
In 1970, the 45-story 1133 Avenue of the Americas;

Legacy

In 1973, Joseph Durst died and his son Seymour Durst took control of the company during the real estate crash of the 1970s. The Durst family became one of the most established and prominent real estate families in New York City in the 20th century., the Durst Organization continues to be owned and operated by the third generation of the Durst family owning and managing 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.

Personal life

Durst was married to Rose Friedwald; they had five children: Seymour, Roy, Alma, Edwin and David. Durst was active in the Jewish community, serving on the executive committee of the Jewish Education Association and as president of the Hebrew Free Loan Society of New York for 27 years. Among his grandsons are screenwriter and director Peter Askin, convicted murderer Robert Durst, and head of the Durst Organization, Douglas Durst.
Durst died on New Year's Eve 1973 in his home, 1136 Fifth Avenue.