Bing & Bing: Bringing High Rise Luxury to Park Avenue Before the Great War

Bing & Bing – the brother real estate developers Alexander and Leo – helped pioneer the luxury apartment house in the decade before America’s entry into World War I. They made their mark on Park Avenue, where they capitalized on the covering of the open rail cut and the replacement of steam with electricity to help transform an avenue lined with tenements into the epitome of urban opulence. We’ll walk about a mile up Park Avenue, stopping at six Bing & Bing buildings to take a look – from the outside, since the avenue’s apartment buildings are notoriously private. Instead, we’ll use photos and stories to understand life ins these castles in the sky.