 When he was young, the family moved to Birmingham, England, where drawing and painting became his favorite amusements.After an attempt at studying law, he studied architecture at the London School of Design, then worked for several years in various architects' offices in London.In 1855 Lind emigrated to New York City where he found employment as chief draftsman and assisting Nathan G. Starkweather, designer of the brownstone Gothic-style, fourth structure for the First Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, which was finally completed with the tallest spire in the city in 1875, (first three structures from colonial times in downtown area at northwest corner of East Fayette and North Streets (now Guilford Avenue), sold the site after the Georgian/Federal-era twin-spired church from 1795, was razed to the Federal Government for a new U. S. Courthouse, built 1859-60); and then moved to more residential and up-scale, tomey, Victorian-era Mount Vernon-Belvedere neighborhood, just north of central business district at West Madison Street and Park Avenue).