Bing & Bing was one of the most important apartment real estate developers in New York City in the early 20th century.
The firm was founded by Leo S. Bing (1874–1956)[1] and his brother, Alexander M. Bing (1878–1959).[2] The brothers often worked with the architect Emery Roth[3] on buildings like The Alden, at 82nd Street and Central Park West, and the Southgate complex of apartment houses on the south side of 52nd Street between First Avenue and the East River. In 1985, the heirs of the Bings[4] sold most of their buildings to a partnership led by Martin J. Raynes.[5]
The firm had a reputation for building "stately, spacious apartments in elegantly detailed buildings that often had Art Deco touches."[6] Bing & Bing buildings, all built for the luxury market, often feature multiple setbacks with private terraces.[6] According to The New York Times, "The Bing & Bing buildings are regarded as among the city's finest prewar properties."[5]
^Steven Ruttenbaum, Mansions in the clouds: the skyscraper palazzi of Emery Roth, Balsam Press, 1986, pp. 47–49.
^Leo Bing's children include Dr. Peter Bing, public health expert in the Johnson Administration, formerly a trustee of Stanford University and father of Steve Bing.
^Trager, James. The New York Chronology: The Ultimate Compendium of Events, People, and Anecdotes from the Dutch to the Present, reprint by HarperCollins, 2004, p. 355.