WILLIAM F LAMB (November 21, 1883 - September 8, 1952):
He was the architect and designer of the Empire State Building. Lamb also designed the Standard Oil Building (1922), additions to the New York Times complex, and the Bankers Trust Building, a 39-story structure at 14 Wall Street. He also designed academic buildings for Cornell University, Connecticut College for Women, the Kent School, Wesleyan University, and Hunter College.
Lamb graduated with a BA from Williams College in 1904 and did postgraduate work at Columbia University College of Architecture. Studied architecture in Paris and received a diploma in 1911. While touring Europe he was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. He spent a year in the hospital, and had to have a leg amputated. Exempt from military service during World War I, he devoted himself to his career.
After success as designer of the Empire State Building, he was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt to serve two terms on the Commission of Fine Arts in Washington, DC. He was Coordinator of Design for the 1939 New York World's Fair and during World War II worked for firms that built bases, airfields and military training centers.
