Seymour Durst

American, 1913 - 1995

Seymour Durst, a native New Yorker, began his real estate career at his father’s Durst Organization. Under his guidance, the organization became one of the most prominent names in Manhattan real estate. In his spare time, Durst amassed an impressive collection of books about New York history and architecture. The collection, which he called the “Old York Library,” now resides at Columbia University. Durst is also remembered as the inventor of the “National Debt Clock,” a billboard-sized electronic display on the Durst Organization office building that shows the national debt.