William frederick lamb biography

American architect (1883–1952)

William Frederick LambFAIA (November 21, 1883 – September 8, 1952), was an American architect, chiefly known as one of the principal designers of the Empire State Building.

Biography

William Frederick Lamb was born on November 21, 1883, in Brooklyn. His father, William Lamb, was a widely known building contractor in Brooklyn and was originally from Glasgow, Scotland. His mother, Mary Louise Lamb (née Wurster), was the sister of Frederick W. Wurster, the last mayor of Brooklyn before it was consolidated with New York City on January 1, 1898.^[1][2]

Lamb joined the New York architecture firm Carrère & Hastings in 1911, shortly after returning from Paris, where he earned a diploma at the École des Beaux-Arts.^[3] Lamb became a partner in 1920; the firm would be known as Shreve & Lamb from 1924 to 1929 and thereafter as Shreve, Lamb and Harmon. Lamb and the firm's notable proj