Flatiron Building, New York City

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It is not well known among tourists, or those, who are not interested in historical architecture. the 22-story Flatiron Building designed in the Beaux-Arts style, is a favorite of New Yorkers. It is considered the first and the oldest surviving Skycraper with its height of 87 m though in fact the Park Row Building is older and taller.

When completed, the Fuller Building, as it was originally known, caused a sensation. Architect Daniel Burnham made ingenious use of the triangular wedge of land at 23rd Street, 5th Avenue, and Broadway, using a revolutionary steel frame. Covered with a limestone and white terra-cotta skin in the Italian Renaissance style, the building was called Flatiron because of its shape resembling a clothing iron. During construction some thought it would fall over and the building was nicknamed Burnham's Folly.
The wind-tunnel effect around the building became also popular, groups of men would gather, to watch women walking by have their skirts blown up.
The building originally housed a restaurant and an observation deck on the 21st floor, now are long closed to the public.
It was featured in the Spiderman movies as the office of the newspaper, the Daily Bugle.

Today you can visit only the small lobby to look at photos, but otherwise the building is best enjoyed from Madison Square, across the street. The lobby is located in the middle of the long facades, with entrances from both sides to publishing houses and stores, such as Zara, Bebe, BCBG and H & M for younger shoppers.

The Flatiron Building was considered to be one of the first skyscrapers ever built, in 1902 it was one of the tallest buildings in New York City.

The Flatiron Building was designed by Chicago's Daniel Burnham in the Beaux-Arts style. Like a classical Greek column, its limestone and glazed terra-cotta façade is divided into a base, shaft and capital. It is 22 stories high, the triangular vertex tower is only 6.5 feet wide; viewed from above, this ‘pointy’ end of the structure describes an acute angle of about 25 degrees. The strong downdrafts in this area were reputed to raise women's skirts as they passed.

The building, which took its name from the triangular lot on which it was built – the Flatiron block, so called because it was shaped like a clothing iron. My Grandfather told me that the building is said to coin the phrase "23 skidoo", from what cops would shout at men who tried look under women's dresses being blown up by the winds swirling around the building due to the strong winds.

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One of New York's most admired buildings, the Flatiron Building is certainly unique due to its very slender figure. It takes its name from its unusual triangular-shaped lot on which it was built, resembling a flatiron (pronounced "flat-iron" = an old fashioned iron). It was built in 1902, and with its 87 metre height, it was the world's highest building until 1909, when the neighbouring Metropolitan Life Tower was constructed. The Beaux-Arts design, with Neoclassical influences, is by the architect, Daniel Burnham, who designed numerous landmark buildings around the United States and beyond, including Union Station in Washington, DC. The Flatiron building is located at a strategic intersection, just south of Madison Square Park, on 23rd Street at the point where Broadway and Fifth Avenue meet. The area immediately surrounding the building has become known as the Flatiron District.

Considered odd and kind of goofy when it was built by Daniel Burnham in 1902 (it was once called Burnham's Folly), this limestone clad building was one of New York's first skyscrapers and is now one of the city's icons. To some it evokes the presence of a large oceanliner as you see it while driving down Broadway.
An interesting fact is, however that the first (although somewhat smaller) Flat Iron building was built in downtown Atlanta 5 years earlier, which was completed in 1897.

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After our visit to New York’s newest skyscraper, the Hearst Tower (see above), we headed to one of its oldest, the Flatiron Building. When it was constructed in 1902 this was one of the tallest buildings in New York City and is considered one of the first skyscrapers.

The building famously took its name from the shape forced on it by the triangular lot it was built on, just like a clothes iron. It is constructed in the Beaux Arts style, with a limestone and glazed terra-cotta façade over a steel skeleton (one of the first buildings to be built by this method, which is why it could be so much higher than most at the time). It had been cleaned up since our previous visit to the city and I was pleased to see that the elaborate detailing on the terracotta was so much easier to pick out and admire (see photo 3).

Do go into the lobby to see the small exhibition there about the building’s history, with lots of fascinating old photos. When it was first built many people thought that its ultra-thin shape would lead it to blow down in the first strong wind, and placed bets on how far the debris would spread. The author H.G. Wells was impressed however:
“found myself agape, admiring a skyscraper – the prow of the Flatiron Building, to be particular, ploughing up through the traffic of Broadway and Fifth Avenue in the late-afternoon light.”

While more recent and probably more spectacular skyscrapers have somewhat inured us to such sights, you will still be impressed I think by the striking shape of the Flatiron Building and it’s a great example of early New York architecture.

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When this building went up in 1902 it was considered to be one of the first skyscrapers a bit of a laugh by todays standards. It is a 21 storey limestone & glazed terra-cotta building nicknamed Burnhams Folly. It is extremely narrow 6 feet across is the narrowest point. The phrase 23 skidoo came from this area with ladies skirts blowing up in this particular area.

The Flatiron Building was one of the tallest buildings in New York City upon its completion in 1902 and is considered one of the first skyscrapers. It was designed by Chicago's Daniel Burnham in the Beaux-Arts style.
I do think this is a great building and a milestone in architecture and engineering.

Constructed in 1902 & one of the first buildings to use a steel frame, the building soon became known as the Flatiron due to its unusual shape.

It is an amazing sight when you see it up close for the first time.