Columbia University Libraries/ Information Services News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Durst Organization Archives, Old York Foundation Donates Substantial
Collection and Funding to Avery Library
NEW YORK, November 14, 2011*– **Columbia University Libraries' Avery
Architectural & Fine Arts Library *and the *Graduate School of
Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) * announce an
unprecedented $4 million gift from the Durst family, one of New York's
most respected commercial and residential real estate families. The
Durst Organization has also donated Seymour Durst’s Old York Library
Collection, which includes books and ephemeral materials about New York
City, as well as architectural documentation, including renderings,
plans, and photos from the Durst Organization Archives.
"The gift of this extraordinary collection and supporting funds will
make these valuable New York materials available for research, teaching,
and learning not only for scholars at Columbia, but also to a worldwide
community of researchers," said Carole Ann Fabian, Director of the Avery
Architectural & Fine Arts Library. "Development of the virtual Old York
Library– a digitization project that will make the Old York Collection
available online -- will honor Mr. Durst’s important tradition of
collection-building and allow the collection to be used in the
curricular and research activities of the GSAPP Real Estate Development
program, as well as provide accessibility to the public."
"The Old York’s collection was fueled by my father's passion for New
York City, especially its history, buildings, and architecture," said
Wendy Durst Kreeger, President of the Old York Foundation. $1.2 million
of the gift will be used to catalog and house the collection in Avery
Library, as well as to create a digital Old York library to ensure broad
access to the materials.
Architectural documentation including renderings, plans, and photos from
the Durst Organization Archives will also be donated to Avery Library.
These documents, which have never before been available to the public,
will give scholars the opportunity to further understand the scope of
the Durst Organization’s impact on New York City's skyline and
streetscapes. The archives also highlight Durst's pioneering work in
environmentally responsible commercial and residential development.
"The Durst Organization’s architectural archives will be an outstanding
resource for Columbia University,” said Douglas Durst, Chairman of The
Durst Organization. "For nearly 100 years, my family has been
assembling, building, and operating real estate in New York City and we
have accumulated a vast amount of knowledge and information that will be
invaluable for anyone interested in New York’s history and real estate."
$1.8 million of the gift will be used to create the Durst Digital
Research Laboratory in GSAPP's Center for Global Design and Development.
The remaining $1 million will create the Durst Fund for Research, which
will support a series of annual projects at GSAPP’s Real Estate
Development Program over the next five years. Each year, students and
researchers will relate one aspect of the Durst collections to an
important question facing the future of global cities. Through a series
of cross-disciplinary activities, such as workshops, seminars,
symposiums, exhibitions, publications or short-term visiting scholars,
this question will be explored and answered, further advancing the
fields of architecture and real estate development.
"This historic gift from one of the most established real estate
families, not just in New York, but in the nation, is truly
transformative for our program," said Vishaan Chakrabarti, Holliday
Professor and Director of GSAPP’s Real Estate Development Program and
the Center for Urban Real Estate. "We are deeply grateful to the Durst
family for this gift and we look forward to a wonderful collaboration to
enhance our programs and make our cutting-edge work and research even
more accessible to the academic community and beyond."
Avery Library Blog: https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/avery/
Avery Library
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Avery-Library/204814556219563
<http://www.facebook.com/#%21/pages/Avery-Library/204814556219563>Columbia
University
News:http://library.columbia.edu/news/libraries/2011/20111114_durst_organization_archives.html
--
Carole Ann Fabian
Director
Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library
1172 Amsterdam Avenue MC0301
New York, NY 10027
212-854-3068
Web:http://library.columbia.edu/indiv/avery.html
News:https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/avery/
--
Project Director
Built Works Registry
http://builtworksregistry.wordpress.com/
*
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