Also known as: Fuller Building Built: 1902 Designed by: Daniel H. Burnham Type: Skyscraper Maximum Height: 285 feet / 87 meters Location: Fifth avenue between 22nd and 23rd streets, New York, United States
N ot well known among those not from the area, or not into historic architecture, the Flatiron Building is a favorite of New Yorkers and admirers around the world. Perhaps because it symbolizes so much of how New Yorkers see themselves -- Defiant, bold, sophisticated, and interesting. With just enough embedded grime and soot to highlight its details. The Flatiron's most interesting feature is its shape -- a slender hull plowing up the streets of commerce as the bow off a great ocean liner plows through the waves of its domain. The apex of the building is just six feet wide, and expands into a limestone wedge adorned with Gothic and Renaissance details of Greek faces and terra cotta flowers. The building has two claims to fame -- one architectural, the other cultural. Some consider the Flatiron Building to be New York City's first skyscraper. It certainly was one of the first buildings in the city to employ a steel frame to hold up its 285-foot tall facade, but not the first. Some felt its shape (like a flatiron) was less artistic and more dangerous. They thought it would fall over, and during construction the Flatiron Building was nicknamed "Burnham's Folly." The building's cultural legacy is a little more interesting and has passed into the local social consciousness as a fable. It is said that the building created unusual eddies in the wind which would cause women's skirts to fly around as they walked on 23rd street. This attracted throngs of young men who gathered to view the barelegged spectacle. Police would try to disperse these knots of heavy-breathers by calling to them, "23 Skidoo." This phrase has passed out of common usage, but its descendant, the word "scram" remains in a back corner of the American lexicon.
"...Quite the most notorious thing in New York and attracts more attention than all the other buildings now going up together...We have to congratulate the architect on the success of his detail. . . of giving appropriate texture to his walls...The manufacturer has managed exactly to match the warm yellow-gray of the limestone base in the tint of the terra cotta above."
-Architectural Record, 1902
Cliff Hendrick
Sunday, November 30th, 2008 @ 8:36pm
Rating: Five stars. We visited the city on Friday and headed right down to 5th and 23rd. Had to visit Flatiron again and get some pictures. Then lunch at Mesa Grill! Great day!Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill for an outstanding lunch
D Pomare
Sunday, November 23rd, 2008 @ 12:42am
Rating: Five stars. A truely beautiful structure
peter G. Till
Saturday, November 22nd, 2008 @ 6:15am
Just come back from NY, great place, great building, great people,
Amber
Wednesday, November 12th, 2008 @ 11:33pm
Rating: Five stars. this building is definetly one to see along with the other well know greats of NYC!! what an amazing, beautiful city, with wonderful people!! I will be back new york, i will be back!
me
Monday, October 27th, 2008 @ 8:16pm
Rating: Five stars. great building... saw it when i took family trip to NY from the empire state building. like how the spider-man series used it
Jane Macmillan Millar Booth
Monday, October 13th, 2008 @ 12:08pm
Rating: Five stars. I meant to praise it!!!!!!! Loooooove NY. Cannot wait to visit. My heart aches for all New Yorkers when I see pictures of the World Trade Center May God bless you all.
chris mckenna
Sunday, August 3rd, 2008 @ 5:30am
Rating: Five stars. recently visited new york and the flat iron typifies new yorks historical buildings awe inspiring and evocative cant wait to get back
Beatrice Vanzant-Smith
Friday, June 20th, 2008 @ 3:31pm
Rating: Five stars. Absolutely breathe taking - I could just stand in front of the marvelous structure and relive the period in which it was built. I love New York and all of it stylish and unique structures.
dan
Saturday, May 10th, 2008 @ 10:34pm
Rating: Three stars. there is one just like it as you approach boston's kenmore square heading toward's fenway.
Rob Baddeley
Wednesday, April 16th, 2008 @ 11:52am
Rating: Five stars. Came to NYC, very friendly city, made a special trip to see flat iron, love it (and NYC!!)
Chris Mckellar
Tuesday, February 12th, 2008 @ 12:29pm
Rating: Five stars. Used This Building In My Historic & Iconic Building Drawings & Essay At College For Architectural Technology, Amazing Building, Truly Inspiring For Budding Architectre Enthusiasts. Love How The Building Looks Very Different Depending On The Light Hitting It & What Anle You Look At It. Sometimes Even Looks Flat. Love It
Chris
Friday, February 1st, 2008 @ 8:48pm
Rating: Five stars. I love this building - and have done from the first time I saw it in a movie. I was lucky enough to visit NY at Christmas and saw it first hand.
Jake
Thursday, January 17th, 2008 @ 5:40am
Rating: One star. urgh! what an old looking building for the likes of new york! and what is so so so special about this building? there are lots in mayjor cities including london and sydney
Shayla Betts
Tuesday, December 4th, 2007 @ 12:25pm
Rating: Five stars. I live in a 1896 Victorian Home in Kansas and found a 1921 Dry Goods Merchants Trade Journal which says in it that this building had a branch office in it. There were several branch offices found in Des Moines, IA as well as in Chicago-Kimball Building and also in Indianapolis. The Munsey Building in Washington D.C. is also mentioned in the article published by: W. J. Pilkington.
Geir Bugge Soeyland
Saturday, December 1st, 2007 @ 6:33pm
Rating: Five stars. I saw it in february when i visited NY with my son . I simply love the looks of it... Very nice.... As is the whole city, come to speak of it
Rodney Smith
Monday, November 26th, 2007 @ 9:41am
Rating: Five stars. Just got back from NYC. Thought this building was in Time Square, but our tour guided bus took us there. WOW....I really love this building. Took lots of pictures of it.
Jim
Saturday, November 3rd, 2007 @ 3:53pm
Rating: Five stars. I first saw this building as a child. It is still awe-inspiring 50 years later.
william
Wednesday, October 31st, 2007 @ 8:48pm
Rating: Five stars. this building is magnifacent
Claudia E.
Friday, June 15th, 2007 @ 3:58pm
By far, my favorite in this magical city. Grew up in NY, and never got tired of looking at it. just beautiful
Donna McGourley
Tuesday, June 5th, 2007 @ 6:06pm
Rating: Five stars. The Flat Iron build. is an icon of romantic American culture - call me old-fashion!
Steve Fedos
Saturday, May 26th, 2007 @ 6:57pm
Rating: Five stars. I attended art school on the top floor of the Flatiron Building 1949.It was called Art Career School.
KarenJohnson
Thursday, May 3rd, 2007 @ 9:16pm
Rating: Five stars. This is my favorite building in New York.Fantastic and unique architecture.
Regina Schickinger
Sunday, January 14th, 2007 @ 4:09pm
Rating: One star. I am from Austria! I love the Flatiron Building. I saw it in 2005. New York is amazing!
Max Bucks
Wednesday, September 13th, 2006 @ 5:22pm
Rating: Two stars. Iconic, and then some.
Oscar Couto
Friday, February 17th, 2006 @ 9:24pm
Rating: Five stars. By far, the most breathtaking building in the most beautiful city in the world. I saw it last time on 4/2005 at night. Another star among stars.
Robert Boyce
Wednesday, December 28th, 2005 @ 5:40pm
Rating: Five stars. Should also be remembered as the rooftop on which James Stewart kisses Kim Novak in Bell, Book, and Candle!
Art McColgan
Monday, November 21st, 2005 @ 11:45pm
Rating: Five stars. I love the Flat Iron. My Favorate Bldg. in the city bar none !
Wilbert NYC
Thursday, August 4th, 2005 @ 5:13am
Rating: Five stars. this centennial skyscraper still make people to stare at it its beautiful highly detailled curtain wall and its best feature when looking at it from the east side or west side of 23rd St. it looks like a thin card only showing the facade of the building impressive tody as it was 103 years ago! and sorry paris,to dissapiont you, New York is still # 1 as the most Famous, celebrated, greatest metropolis and capitol of the WORLD!
ooi yat fai
Wednesday, July 13th, 2005 @ 4:34am
Rating: Five stars. only one word is needed to describe it--SLIM!!!!
Bogie Grass
Monday, March 28th, 2005 @ 10:11am
Rating: Five stars. The Flatiron Building: It is one of the main reasons I believe NYC is the second greatest city in the world -- the first is, of course, Paris, France.
Mal Walker
Sunday, March 13th, 2005 @ 1:54am
Rating: Five stars. Unique and beautiful. I have a poster of this building on the wall by my computer (from the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, NY) Old picture in a greenish mist, just wonderful.
dax
Thursday, January 13th, 2005 @ 3:27pm
Rating: Five stars. One of the landmarks of NYC. Not as flashy as the Chrysler buidling or the Empire State but more remarkable in a lot of ways
Marilyn Rumley
July 11th, 2003
I've been to New York twice, and have seen the Flatiron Bldg. My dad used to say "23 Skidoo" to me as a child, just to be funny, but I don't know if even he knew its origin. VERY cool!!
Dave Heywood
March 28th, 2003
I have visited New York City twice, I went to the top of the world trade centre in 2001, I,ve been to the top of the Empire State Building twice...but, the Flatiron building is special...it,s how I imagine New York City at the turn of the last century...what a wonderful building!
David Ross
November 14th, 2002
My daughter works in the Flatiron bldg. She loves it there. It is the hippest bldg in NYC David RossMy daughter works in the Flatiron bldg. She loves it there. It is the hippest bldg in NYC.
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New York, United States
Cliff Hendrick
Five stars.
D Pomare
peter G. Till
Three stars.
Chris
One star.
Geir Bugge Soeyland
Regina Schickinger
Two stars.
Oscar Couto
ooi yat fai
dax