Lying-in is an archaic term for childbirth (referring to the month-long bed rest prescribed for postpartum confinement).

It was built in 1902 and designed by architect R. H. Robertson in the Renaissance Revival style, with a Palladian crown at the top.

Swaddled babies decorate the windows of the 5th floor and the spandrels of the building, which was converted to offices and apartments in 1985 by Beyer Blinder Belle.

[2] As the years passed, John Pierpont Morgan Jr. was concerned about the long-term stability of the hospital his father had so generously provided for.

Upon the subsequent opening of the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in 1932, the Lying-In Hospital moved out of the Second Avenue building.