Bing & Bing

Bing & Bing was one of the most important apartment real estate developers in New York City in the early 20th century.

Bing & Bing
TypePrivate Limited
IndustryReal estate
FounderLeo S. Bing
Alexander M. Bing
HeadquartersNew York City

The firm was founded by Leo S. Bing and his brother, Alexander M. Bing. The brothers often worked with the architect Emery Roth[1] on buildings like The Alden, at 82nd 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[2] sold most of their buildings to a partnership led by Martin J. Raynes.[3]

The firm had a reputation for building "stately, spacious apartments in elegantly detailed buildings that often had Art Deco touches."[4] Bing & Bing buildings, all built for the luxury market, often feature multiple setbacks with private terraces.[4] According to The New York Times, "The Bing & Bing buildings are regarded as among the city's finest prewar properties."[3]

Alexander Bing (1879 – 1959) was also an author, artist, art patron, and philanthropist. Bing was the first president of the Regional Planning Association of America, and the primary source of funding for the City Housing Corporation, the organization behind the development of housing landmark Sunnyside Gardens in Astoria, Queens, and the planned community of Radburn, New Jersey. Late in life, Bing also started the Friends of the Whitney Museum of American Art, with David Sholinger and Roy Neuberger.

Bing & Bing buildings: a selected list

Upper East Side
  • The Drake Hotel - 440 Park Avenue and East 56th Street
  • 903 Park Avenue - When built, the 17-story luxury building at the northeast corner of East 79th Street was said to be the tallest residential building in New York. It was designed by Robert T. Lyons and Warren & Wetmore.[5]
  • 565 Park Avenue[6]
  • 970 Park Avenue
  • 993 Park Avenue
  • 1000 Park Avenue - The pair of carved figures in medieval clothes that are said to represent the Bing brothers.[4][7]
  • 1009 Park Avenue
  • 433 East 51st Street
  • 400 East 52nd Street
  • 414 East 52nd Street
  • 424 East 52nd Street
  • 434 East 52nd Street
  • 45 East 66th Street
  • 233 East 72nd Street
  • 245 East 72nd Street
  • 204-206 East 73rd Street
  • 210 East 73rd Street
  • 215 East 73rd Street
  • 220 East 73rd Street
  • 225 East 73rd Street
  • 230 East 73rd Street
  • 235 East 73rd Street
  • 129 East 82nd Street
  • 64-66 East 83nd Street
  • 224 East 74th Street
  • 232 East 74th Street
  • 240 East 74th Street
  • 252-254 East 74th Street
  • 1391 Second Avenue
  • 1407 Second Avenue

Upper West Side
  • 235 West End Avenue
  • 162 West 56th Street
  • 312 West 71st Street

Downtown and Greenwich Village

Brooklyn

References
  1. Steven Ruttenbaum, Mansions in the clouds: the skyscraper palazzi of Emery Roth, Balsam Press, 1986, pp. 47 - 49.
  2. 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.
  3. Wedemeyer, Dee (1985-06-30). "Bing & Bing Sells Off its Properties". The New York Times.
  4. Kugel, Seth (2006-07-09). "Taking a Peek at Prewar Classics (Published 2006)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  5. James Trager, The New York Chronology: The Ultimate Compendium of Events, People, and Anecdotes from the Dutch to the Present, reprint by HarperCollins, 2004, p. 355; Christopher Gray, "Streetscapes: 903 Park Avenue, at 79th Street; 1914 Apartment House Once Called World's Tallest", The New York Times, 12 May 2002, accessed 1 May 2010.
  6. "The Upper East Side Book: Park Avenue: 565 Park Avenue". www.thecityreview.com. Retrieved 2019-04-25.
  7. "The Upper East Side Book: Park Avenue: 1000 Park Avenue". www.thecityreview.com. Retrieved 2019-04-25.
  8. Taking a Peek at Prewar Classics, The New York Times, June 9, 2006 Archived June 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  9. "SALT WATER FOR POOL.; Six Wells Drilled Beneath St. George Hotel Tower". The New York Times. 1929-09-01. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
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