Back to photostream

Flat Iron Building NYC 8429bw

View Large On Black

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatiron_Building

 

Flatiron Building

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Flatiron [Fuller] Building

 

Information

Location175 Fifth Avenue

New York City

Coordinates40°44′28″N 73°59′23″W

StatusComplete

UseOffice building

Height

Top floor285 feet (87 m)

Technical details

Floor count22

Companies

ArchitectDaniel Burnham

John Wellborn Root

Flatiron Building

(U.S. National Historic Landmark)

 

Built/Founded:1902

Architectural style(s):Renaissance, Skyscraper

Designated as NHL:June 29, 1989

Added to NRHP:November 20, 1979

NRHP Reference#:79001603[1]

 

The Flatiron Building, which when constructed was called the Fuller Building, was one of the tallest buildings in New York City upon its completion in 1902 and is considered one of the first skyscrapers. The building, at 175 Fifth Avenue in the borough of Manhattan, sits on a triangular island block at 23rd Street, Fifth Avenue, and Broadway, anchoring the south (downtown) end of Madison Square.

 

The neighborhood around the building is called the Flatiron District after its signature building.

 

Architecture

 

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 separated into three parts horizontally. Since it was one of the first buildings to use a steel skeleton, the building could be constructed to 285 feet (87 m), which would have been very difficult with other construction methods of that time.

 

The initial design by Daniel Burnham shows a similar design to the one constructed, but with a far more elaborate crown with numerous setbacks near the pinnacle. A clock face can also be seen. However, this was later removed from the design.

 

At the rounded tip, the triangular tower is only 6.5 feet (2 m) wide. The 22-story building, with a height of 285 ft (87 m), is often considered the oldest surviving skyscraper in Manhattan, though in fact the Park Row Building (1899) is both older and taller.

 

New York's Flatiron Building is not the first building of its type. It is the third building in the flatiron shape, with the first being the Gooderham Building of Toronto, built in 1892, and the second in Atlanta in 1897. Both of the earlier buildings are smaller than their New York counterpart.

1,286 views
0 faves
3 comments
Uploaded on October 26, 2008
Taken on October 17, 2008