Douglas Durst and Jonathan “Jody” Durst

Douglas Durst (left) and Jonathan Durst.

#31

Douglas Durst and Jonathan “Jody” Durst

Chairman; president at The Durst Organization

Last year's rank: 21

Douglas Durst and Jonathan “Jody” Durst
By May 9, 2025 9:00 AM

Douglas and Jonathan “Jody” Durst — the third generation of Dursts to carry on the family legacy — have a lot to be happy about in their portfolio. 

The firm is well positioned in Midtown, where its office properties are in high demand for tenants looking for Class A space to coax employees back to the office, and it has the occupancy rates to prove it. One Bryant Park is 100 percent leased, 151 West 42nd Street is 96 percent leased, and 1155 Avenue of the Americas stands at 93 percent leased.

“Leasing has been extremely strong toward the end of 2024, and then to these first few months of 2025,” Jody Durst said. “The activity is great, and, across our entire portfolio, we’ve got a vacancy of approximately 10 percent.”

This positioning is no accident with the Durst cousins putting time and effort into the buildings to make sure they capture on the flight to quality trend that has been shaping up.

“We think that the buildings that have been maintained, improved and well capitalized are going to have a very successful year,” Douglas Durst said. “Those that don’t have the capital or the backing to keep their buildings in shape and attract new tenants, it’s going to be difficult.” 

It’s not just Midtown that has the Dursts’ attention. They also have housing developments in the works in Queens, with the company nearing completion of 20 and 30 Halletts Point in Astoria, where 647 units began leasing in early 2025.

In 2024, Durst launched Skyline Robotics, a program that robotically cleans windows on skyscrapers and keeps its portfolio spotless, as well as an initiative to recycle plate glass into batt insulation, which prevents old windows from ending up in landfills.