Robert Timothy Lyons (February 23, 1873 – May 15, 1956) was a prolific American architect practicing in New York City throughout the early 20th century. Known for his mastery of Renaissance Revival and Neo‑Federal styles, Lyons was responsible for a wide range of residential and commercial buildings – many commissioned by high‑profile developers like Bing & Bing, and active roughly between 1891 and 1931. Among his most celebrated designs is the St. Urban Apartments (completed 1905–06) at 285 Central Park West: a lavish thirteen‑story Beaux‑Arts structure featuring a dramatic mansard roof, corner turrets, and intricate copper ornamentation. Lyons also designed 903 Park Avenue for Bing & Bing corporation, which upon completion in 1916 held the title of the tallest apartment building in the world at 17 stories.
Working in close collaboration with Bing & Bing, Lyons produced numerous prominent addresses—including the Gramercy Park Hotel (1925), 2 Horatio Street (1931), and dozens of Park Avenue and Central Park West residences characterized by refined façades and generous layouts. In addition to his private work, Lyons served as an associate architect to William van Alen during the preliminary design of the Reynolds Building, later revised into the Chrysler Building and oversaw its construction as supervising architect. Later in his career, he was associated with public-sector roles including work for the New York State Mortgage Commission (1935) and the Federal Housing Authority during World War II, before returning to private practice in 1944. Over a career spanning six decades, Lyons shaped the architectural character of early‑20th-century Manhattan through elegant, contextually rich, and meticulously detailed buildings.
Select Projects:
903 Park Avenue, NY NY
2 Horatio Street, NY NY
Blackstone Hotel, NY NY
Gramercy Park Hotel, NY NY
955 Park Avenue, NY NY
11 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn NY
1155 Park Avenue, NY NY
35 West 90th Street, NY NY
509 Madison Avenue, NY NY
Carnegie Plaza, NY NY
Colorado Apartments, NY NY
Bromley Apartments, NY NY
304 West 75th Street, NY NY
Wellington Hotel, NY NY
Gramercy Court, NY NY