The Flatiron Building was the first skyscaper built in Manhattan, and when completed in 1902 was one of the world's tallest buildings. Originally called the Fuller building, after George A. Fuller who financed its costruction, it soon became known as the Flatiron Building because of its elongated triangular shape.
The building was constructed by Chicago architect Daniel Burnham, who resolved the difficulty of building on a triangular piece of land by simply building a triangular building. The Flation Building was one of the first to be constructed around a steel skeleton, the basic structure of all the world's skyscapers. The steel frame allows the building to taper to a mere 6ft (2m) corner at 23rd Street.
It's shape caused such alarm among some New Yorker's when the building was first erected that it became known as 'Burnham's folly,' and bets were taken as to how far the rubble would spread when the building inevitably fell over, as many predicted it would.
Burnham covered the outside of the building in a facade of limestone and glazed terra-cotta based on Italian Renaissance designs. As a consequence, the Flatiron Building may now be a drawf amongst Manhattan's giant skyscapers, but it is still one of its most decorative.
Address
175 Fifth Avenue
(between Broadway and 5th Ave, at 23rd Street).
NY 10010
How to Get There
Subway:
Take the N or W train to 23rd Street
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