Elisabeth Bing, an immigrant of German-Jewish descent who was educated in England upon fleeing from the Nazis, co-founded the American Society for Psychoprophylaxis in Obstetrics (now Lamaze International). She was instrumental in bringing the Lamaze Method to the U.S. and a pioneer in educating parents for childbirth. Bing lived for many years at 164 West 79th St., and she operated a center/studio on the ground floor of the building, at which generations of Manhattanite new parents prepared for the birth of their children under her tutelage.