Philip Birnbaum (architect)

"[1] Birnbaum was born in the northern part of the borough of Manhattan in New York City in 1907 and grew up in Washington Heights, living in crowded tenements.

He attended Stuyvesant High School and graduated in Architecture from Columbia University.

[1][2] Although he was accepted into Princeton University, he was told by the institution itself that he might "not fit into the environment" due to his religion and heritage.

According to The New York Times, his buildings were notable for "virtually no wasted floor space".

[1] Outside of Manhattan, Birnbaum was involved in the design of several buildings in the Forest Hills and Kew Gardens neighborhoods of Queens, many of which were for developer Alfred Kaskel.