David M. Durst

Fall 2016 | by Alumni Publications

David M. Durst, AE, IE 48, of Rye, N. Y., on May 13. Durst was an engineer and artist who used his gifts to build skyscrapers in Manhattan as well as sculptures from found metal objects. 

Durst studied both aerospace and industrial engineering at Georgia Tech. After graduating, he went to work with two of his brothers at the family’s New York City real estate firm, The Durst Organization. 

The three Durst brothers each brought different skills to the company, according to a New York Times obituary.  David was in charge of design and construction, Seymour was the deal-maker, and Royal leased and operated the buildings. Royal died in 1993 and Seymour died shortly after in 1995.

In his three decades at the Durst Organization, David M. Durst oversaw the construction of eight Manhattan skyscrapers. 

Durst’s first building was the 30-story tower at 655 Third Avenue, which opened in 1958. His last building, completed in 1989, was the 26-story building at 114 W. 47th St. 

In addition to his contributions to the New York City Skyline, Durst was also one of the first developers to commission public art for an office building, now a common practice. He commissioned a sculpture called “Windward,” by Jan Peter Stern, for the sidewalk in front of the 655 Third Avenue tower.

Durst also found success in the art world. His metal sculptures were regularly exhibited in galleries such as the Gallery in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y., and the Katonah Gallery. 

In 1998, Mr. Durst published “The Menemsha Mussels,” a photography book with a humorous take on the bivalve mollusks found near his summer home on Martha’s Vineyard.