Durst Debt Clock Keeps Right on Ticking as Legacy to Him

The family of late New York real estate mogul/eccentric Seymour Durst is keeping his most famous contribution to society, the National Debt Clock, up and running. His son Douglas now maintains the clock, installed on a building in Manhattan, along with the Durst Organization, reports NYMag.com.

“Historically, the clock is most important when no one is thinking about the debt,” company director Jordan Barowitz told the website. “It’s this silent vigil, churning away.” 

The senior Durst, who died in 1995, had the clock built for $100,000 in 1989. It features the total national debt, as well as the amount that every U.S. Household would owe, theoretically. It was shut down briefly and draped in red, white, and blue back in 2000 when the debt was retreating.

In April, Rep. Tom Reed, R-N.Y., suggested that a replica of the clock be installed on the floor U.S. House.