Lawrence V. McDonald, Jr. was born in Nuremberg Germany to American parents and has lived in Jamestown Rhode Island and New York City. He studied architecture in Rome and Venice and graduated from the Pratt Institute School of Architecture in Brooklyn NY where he later spent some time as a Visiting Assistant Professor and remains a frequent guest critic. Lawrence worked for Architect Peter Eisenman and Interior Designer Amy Lau before becoming licensed to practice architecture in New York State. He currently splits his time between Manhattan and Sag Harbor NY.