Midtown Manhattan Landmarks

Flatiron Building in Manhattan

The Flatiron Building is a 22-story skyscraper at 175 Fifth Avenue, in the Flatiron District just south of Midtown, where Fifth Avenue, Broadway and East 23rd Street meet at the south end of Madison Square. Designed by Daniel Burnham and Frederick Dinkelberg and completed in 1902, it is known for its narrow triangular shape.

The narrow wedge-shaped Flatiron Building on a cloudy day, with a cyclist and taxis at street level — Photo: dconvertini · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source

Quick facts

Where: 175 Fifth Avenue, on a triangular block bounded by Fifth Avenue, Broadway and East 22nd Street, at the south end of Madison Square
Architects: Daniel Burnham (D. H. Burnham and Co.) and Frederick P. Dinkelberg
Original name: the Fuller Building, after George A. Fuller; developed by the Fuller Company
Completed: 1902, with the steel frame finished by February 1902 and the terra-cotta work finished in June 1902
Stories: 22
Structure: steel frame with a three-story limestone base and glazed terra-cotta above
Landmark status: New York City landmark (1966), National Register of Historic Places (1979), National Historic Landmark (1989)

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History

The building was developed by the Fuller Company, whose chief executive was Harry S. Black. Burnham's firm was hired in February 1901, demolition began in May 1901, and structural plans were filed in August 1901. The steel frame was finished by February 1902 and the terra-cotta work by June 1902. The building opened in 1902.

It was announced as the Fuller Building, but locals called it "the Flatiron" for its triangular shape, and the name stuck. Its nickname "Burnham's Folly" reflected doubts about whether a tall building on such a narrow site would stand. Its steel bracing was designed by Corydon Purdy of Purdy and Henderson to withstand four times the maximum wind force of the area.

The building originally had 20 stories plus an attic. After an expansion in 1905 it has 22 stories including the attic and penthouse. Its base is limestone, and the upper stories are glazed terra-cotta by the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company. The plot is not a perfect isosceles triangle, so the name is informal.

What to look for

The narrow northern tip, only a few feet wide at its sharpest point
The terra-cotta ornament on the upper stories
Madison Square, which the building overlooks from its south end

Visiting Flatiron Building

You can see the Flatiron Building from Madison Square and from the surrounding streets. The Empire State Building is further up Fifth Avenue. To see Midtown by pedicab, see our tours.