View source for Flatiron Building

{{short description|Skyscraper in Manhattan, New York}}
{{for|other buildings|List of Flatiron buildings}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox building
| name             = Flatiron Building
| former_names     = Fuller Building
| image            = Edificio Fuller (Flatiron) en 2010 desde el Empire State crop boxin.jpg
| image_size       = 265
| image_alt        = Aerial view of the Flatiron Building, facing south toward the building's pointed facade
| completion_date  = June 1902
| building_type    = Office
| architectural    = {{convert|285|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}
| floor_count      = 22
| floor_area       = {{convert|255000|sqft|m2|1|abbr=on}}
| owner            = [[Sorgente Group]], GFP Real Estate, Newmark, ABS Real Estate,<ref name="Hallum 202305" /> The Brodsky Organization<ref name="Bockmann 2023 m791" />
| embedded         = {{Infobox NRHP
| embed = yes
| name                     = Flatiron Building
| nrhp_type                = nhl
| locmapin                 = Manhattan#New York City
| map_caption              = Location in Manhattan##Location in New York City
| mapframe-wikidata = yes
| coordinates              = {{coord|40|44|28|N|73|59|23|W|region:US-NY_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| built                    = 1902
| builder                  = George A. Fuller Construction Co.
| architect                = [[D. H. Burnham & Co.]]:
* [[Daniel Burnham]]
* [[Frederick P. Dinkelberg]]<ref name="Alexiou pp. 47-48" />
| architecture             = [[Renaissance Revival architecture|Renaissance Revival]]
| designated_nrhp_type     = June 29, 1989
| added                    = November 20, 1979<ref>{{NRISref|2007a}}</ref>
| refnum                   = 79001603
| designated_other1        = New York State Register of Historic Places
| designated_other1_abbr   = NYSRHP
| designated_other1_date   = June 23, 1980<ref>{{cite web |title=Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS) |publisher=[[New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]] |date=November 7, 2014 |url=https://cris.parks.ny.gov/ |access-date=July 20, 2023}}</ref>
| designated_other1_number = 06101.000437
| designated_other1_num_position = bottom
| designated_other2_name   = New York City Landmark
| designated_other2_date   = September 20, 1966
| designated_other2_abbr   = NYCL
| designated_other2_link   = New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
| designated_other2_number = 0219
| designated_other2_color  = #FFE978
| governing_body           =
}}
}}

The '''Flatiron Building''', originally the '''Fuller Building''',{{sfn|Brown|Dixon|Gillham|2014}} is a 22-story,<ref name="nycland" /> {{convert|285|ft|m|1|adj=mid|-tall}} steel-framed triangular building at 175 [[Fifth Avenue]] in the [[Flatiron District]] neighborhood of [[Manhattan]] in [[New York City]]. Designed by [[Daniel Burnham]] and [[Frederick P. Dinkelberg]], and sometimes called, in its early days, "'''Burnham's Folly'''", it was opened in 1902.<ref name="Alexiou p. 52" /> The building sits on a triangular block formed by Fifth Avenue, [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]], and [[22nd Street (Manhattan)|East 22nd Street]]—where the building's {{convert|87|ft|m|adj=on}} back end is located—with [[23rd Street (Manhattan)|East 23rd Street]] grazing the triangle's northern (uptown) peak. The name "Flatiron" derives from its triangular shape, which recalls that of a cast-iron [[clothes iron]].<ref name="Alexiou p. 59">{{harvnb|ps=.|Alexiou|2010|p=59}}</ref>{{sfn|Roberts|2019}}

The Flatiron Building was developed as the headquarters of construction firm [[Fuller Company]], which acquired the site from the Newhouse family in May 1901. Construction proceeded rapidly, and the building opened on October 1, 1902. Though the building was originally 20 floors,<ref name="Alexiou p. 52">{{harvnb|ps=.|Alexiou|2010|p=52}}</ref> a "cowcatcher" retail space (a low attached building so called for its resemblance to [[cowcatcher|the device on rail locomotives]]) and penthouse were added shortly after the building's opening. The Fuller Company sold the building in 1925 to an investment syndicate. The [[Equitable Life Assurance Society (United States)|Equitable Life Assurance Society]] took over the building after a [[foreclosure]] auction in 1933 and sold it to another syndicate in 1945. [[Helmsley-Spear]] managed the building for much of the late 20th century, renovating it several times. The [[Newmark Group]] started managing the building in 1997. Ownership was divided among several companies, which started renovating the building again in 2019. Jacob Garlick agreed to acquire the Flatiron Building at [[#First auction|an auction in early 2023]], but failed to pay the required deposit, and three of the four existing ownership groups took over the building. In October 2023, the building's owners announced that it would be converted to residential [[condominium]]s; the project is planned to be complete by 2026.

The Flatiron Building's [[facade]] is divided vertically into three sections, similarly to the components of a classical column. The three-story base is clad with [[limestone]], while the upper stories are clad with [[Glazed architectural terra-cotta|glazed terracotta]]. The building's steel frame, designed by structural engineering firm [[Purdy and Henderson]], was intended to withstand four times the maximum wind force of the area. Called "one of the world's most iconic skyscrapers and a quintessential symbol of New York City",<ref name="treasure">{{cite AV media |url=https://www.wliw.org/programs/treasures-of-new-york/treasures-new-york-treasures-new-york-flatiron-building/ |title=Treasures of New York City: The Flatiron Building |work=WLIW |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200202180142/https://www.wliw.org/programs/treasures-of-new-york/treasures-new-york-treasures-new-york-flatiron-building/ |archive-date=February 2, 2020 |year=2014 |access-date=April 3, 2014}}</ref> the building anchors the south (downtown) end of [[Madison Square]] and the north (uptown) end of the [[Ladies' Mile Historic District]]. The neighborhood around it is called the Flatiron District after its signature, iconic building.{{efn|For its iconic status, see {{harvnb|Koolhaas|1994|p=72}} and {{harvnb|Goldberger|1981|p=38}}; both noted in this context in {{harvnb|Zukowsky|Saliga|1984|p=79 note 3}}}} The building was designated a [[List of New York City Landmarks|New York City landmark]] in 1966,<ref name="nycland">{{cite nycland}}</ref> was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1979,<ref name="nrhpinv">{{cite web |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/79001603_text |title=Flatiron Building |last=Pitts |first=Carolyn |work=National Register of Historic Places Registration |date=February 9, 1989 |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=March 10, 2016 |archive-date=June 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605003659/https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/79001603_text |url-status=live}}</ref> and was designated a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1989.<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web |url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1809&ResourceType=Building |title=Flatiron Building |date=September 12, 2007 |work=National Historic Landmark summary listing |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=September 13, 2007 |archive-date=March 14, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314170348/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1809&ResourceType=Building |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="nrhpphotos">{{cite web |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/79001603_photos |title=Flatiron Building—Accompanying Photos, Exterior, From 1979 |work=National Register of Historic Places Inventory |date=February 9, 1989 |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=March 10, 2016 |archive-date=June 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604233607/https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/79001603_photos |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{TOC limit|3}}

== Site ==
The Flatiron Building occupies a triangular [[city block]] bounded by [[Fifth Avenue]] to the west, [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]] to the east, and [[22nd Street (Manhattan)|22nd Street]] to the south.<ref name="TL p. 53"/><ref name="NYCityMap2">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=NYCityMap |url=http://maps.nyc.gov/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150524114059/http://maps.nyc.gov/ |archive-date=May 24, 2015 |access-date=March 20, 2020 |website=NYC.gov |publisher=[[New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications]]}}</ref> The western and eastern facades converge, forming a "peak" at its northern corner where Fifth Avenue and Broadway intersect with [[23rd Street (Manhattan)|East 23rd Street]].<ref name="LC p. 301"/><ref name="NYCityMap2" /> The shape of the site arises from Broadway's diagonal alignment relative to the [[Manhattan street grid]].<ref>{{cite news |date=August 29, 1926 |title=Queer Shaped Buildings Plentiful in New York: Structures Erected to Con- Form With Twisting Streets Present Odd Sights. Sky Line of Art |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=M10 |issn=0190-8286 |id={{ProQuest|149624003}}}}</ref><ref name="Supplement p. BS7">{{Cite news |date=January 1, 1905 |title=New York Times Building Supplement |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1905/01/01/101351077.html?pageNumber=20 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907134114/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1905/01/01/101351077.html?pageNumber=20 |archive-date=September 7, 2022 |access-date=September 5, 2022 |work=The New York Times |page=BS7 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>{{efn|This was one of four northward-facing plots south of 59th Street that were formed by the convergence of Broadway, another avenue, and a crosstown street. A park was built on the plot south of [[Herald Square]], at 34th Street and Sixth Avenue. [[One Times Square]] was built on the triangular plot south of [[Times Square]], at 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue. The curved site south of [[Columbus Circle]], at 59th Street and Eighth Avenue, is now occupied by [[2 Columbus Circle]].<ref name="Supplement p. BS7"/>}} The site measures {{convert|197.5|ft}} on Fifth Avenue, {{convert|214.5|ft}} on Broadway, and {{convert|86|ft}} on 22nd Street.<ref name="NYCL p. 296">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989|ps=.|p=296}}</ref> Above the ground level, all three corners of the triangle are rounded.<ref name="ER p. 296">{{harvnb|Engineering Record|1902|ps=.|p=296}}</ref> Despite the building's name, the site is shaped like a scalene [[right triangle]], rather than an [[isosceles triangle]] (as flatirons are shaped).<ref name="TL p. 53" />

Buildings directly across the street from the Flatiron Building include the [[Toy Center]] to the north, the [[Sohmer Piano Building]] to the southwest, the [[Scribner Building]] to the south, and [[Madison Green (New York City)|Madison Green]] to the southeast.<ref name="NYCityMap2" /> Entrances to the [[New York City Subway]]'s [[23rd Street station (BMT Broadway Line)|23rd Street station]], served by the {{NYCS trains|Broadway local weekday}}, are adjacent to the building.<ref>{{Cite NYC neighborhood map|Union Square / Gramercy Park}}</ref> The Flatiron Building is within the [[Ladies' Mile Historic District]],<ref>{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989|ps=.|p=3}}</ref> a preservation which extends between 15th Street (to the south) and 24th Street (to the north).<ref>{{cite news |last=Sherman |first=Beth |date=January 10, 1991 |title=Ladies Mile a Great Place to Shop. A Great Place to Eat. And Now, A Great Place to Live |work=Newsday |page=81 |id={{ProQuest|278311617}}}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1990-07-222">{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=July 22, 1990 |title=Commercial Property: Ladies' Mile; Some Landmarks Languish as a Precinct Prospers |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/22/realestate/commercial-property-ladies-mile-some-landmarks-languish-precinct-prospers-david.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525201626/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/22/realestate/commercial-property-ladies-mile-some-landmarks-languish-precinct-prospers-david.html |archive-date=May 25, 2015 |access-date=September 6, 2022 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

=== Previous structures ===
The St. Germain Hotel (alternatively spelled St. Germaine) was built by 1855{{efn|{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=26}}, cites the St. Germain Hotel as having been built in 1855. {{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989|p=151}}, meanwhile, gives a different date of between 1853 and 1854.}} on the south end of the lot.<ref>{{cite book |author=Fifth Avenue Bank of New York |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FKwfJW2Tq1wC&pg=PA26 |title=Fifth Avenue ... |publisher=Walton Advertising and Prtg. Company |year=1915 |page=26 |access-date=September 26, 2021 |archive-date=September 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927000103/https://books.google.com/books?id=FKwfJW2Tq1wC&pg=PA26 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nyt-2014-09-18">{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=September 18, 2014 |title=Get Out the Magnifying Glass |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/realestate/new-york-citys-rare-venetian-gothic-style.html |access-date=September 3, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903160051/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/realestate/new-york-citys-rare-venetian-gothic-style.html |url-status=live}}</ref> It was one of several hotels built in the neighborhood during the mid-19th century.<ref>{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989|ps=.|p=151}}</ref> [[Amos Eno]] purchased the entire block in 1857{{Efn|{{harvnb|Tauranac|1985|ps=,|page=53}} gives a differing date of 1855 for Eno's purchase.}} for $32,000,<ref name="Alexiou p. 26">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=26|ps=.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=August 9, 1902 |title=Glimpses From the Metropolis |pages=7 |work=Democrat and Chronicle |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108915577/glimpses-from-the-metropolis/ |access-date=September 4, 2022 |archive-date=September 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904173043/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108915577/glimpses-from-the-metropolis/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and he shortly built the [[Fifth Avenue Hotel]] on a site diagonally across from it.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=24|ps=.}}</ref> At some point after 1880, Eno tore down the St. Germain Hotel and replaced it with a seven-story apartment building, the Cumberland.<ref name="Alexiou pp. 26-27">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|pp=26–27|ps=.}}</ref>{{efn|Architectural historian [[Christopher Gray (architectural historian)|Christopher Gray]] says that the St. Germain remained in place but was "renamed the Cumberland House around 1880".<ref name="nyt-2014-09-18" />}} On the remainder of the lot, he built four three-story buildings for commercial use.<ref name="Alexiou pp. 26-27" /> This left four stories of the Cumberland's northern face exposed, which Eno rented out to advertisers, including ''[[The New York Times]]'', which installed a sign made up of electric lights.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|pp=27–28|ps=.}}</ref><ref name="p1454027682">{{cite news |date=August 22, 1915 |title=Russia Opens a Bureau: Will Make Munition Contracts Direct Instead of by Brokers. Suite of Offices in Flatiron Building Takes Up Three Floors |page=R7 |newspaper=The Washington Post |issn=0190-8286 |id={{ProQuest|145402768}}}}</ref> The sign, the first of its kind in New York City, was a precursor to the Great White Way near [[Times Square]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Adams |first=F Ellison |date=April 6, 1924 |title=When the White Light Wheels Go Round |page=SMA7 |work=The New York Herald, New York Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1113591589}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=October 10, 1926 |title=On New York's Avenue of Light: Electric Signs Represent Millions in Lamps and Dollars. A Contrast of 30 Years First Big One Cost $200, And Now One Firm Pays $600,000 Annually for Space. |page=RE9 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|103888563}}}}</ref> Eno later put a canvas screen on the wall, projecting images from a [[magic lantern]] atop one of his smaller buildings, where he alternately presented advertisements and interesting pictures. Both the ''Times'' and the ''[[New-York Tribune]]'' began using the screen for news bulletins, and on election nights tens of thousands of people would gather in Madison Square, waiting for the latest results.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=28|ps=.}}</ref>

The site came to be known by many names, including "Eno's flatiron",<ref name="Alexiou p. 29">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=29|ps=.}}</ref> "Eno's corner", and "the cow catcher".<ref name="nyt-1933-07-02">{{Cite news |date=July 2, 1933 |title=Flatiron Building Made History Here; Skyscraper of 31 Years Ago Was First in City to Be Built on Steel Frame |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/07/02/archives/flatiron-building-made-history-here-skyscraper-of-31-years-ago-was.html |access-date=September 3, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904000617/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/07/02/archives/flatiron-building-made-history-here-skyscraper-of-31-years-ago-was.html |url-status=live}}</ref> By the 1890s, the Eno family earned $42,000 a year from the site.<ref name="TL p. 53">{{harvnb|Tauranac|1985|ps=.|page=53}}</ref> Although Eno was one of the largest landowners in New York City by 1894,<ref name="Alexiou p. 26" /> he rejected all offers to purchase the flatiron site during his lifetime.<ref name="Alexiou p. 29" /> After his death in 1899, his assets were liquidated, and the lot went up for sale. The [[New York State Assembly]] appropriated $3 million for the city to buy it, but this fell through when a newspaper reporter discovered that the plan was a [[Graft (politics)|graft]] scheme by [[Tammany Hall]] boss [[Richard Croker]].<ref name="Alexiou p. 32">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=32|ps=.}}</ref> Instead, the lot was bought at auction by William Eno, one of Amos's sons, for $690,000 in April 1899.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 13, 1899 |title=Millions for Eno Realty; Great Interest in the Second Sale of the Estate's Holdings |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1899/04/13/archives/millions-for-eno-realty-great-interest-in-the-second-sale-of-the.html |access-date=September 7, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="n109110073" /> This was more than 20 times what the elder Eno had paid for the property four decades earlier.<ref name="nyt-1900-04-27">{{Cite news |date=April 27, 1900 |title=Fifth Avenue Hotel Sold for $4,225,000; W.P. Eno's Record Bid for New York Real Estate |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1900/04/27/archives/fifth-avenue-hotel-sold-for-4225000-wp-enos-record-bid-for-new-york.html |access-date=September 5, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007125721/https://www.nytimes.com/1900/04/27/archives/fifth-avenue-hotel-sold-for-4225000-wp-enos-record-bid-for-new-york.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

In May 1899, just three weeks after William had acquired the flatiron lot,<ref name="Alexiou p. 32" /><ref name="n109110073">{{Cite news |date=May 9, 1899 |title=Big Real Estate Deal |pages=6 |work=Wilkes-Barre Semi-Weekly Record |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109110073/big-real-estate-deal/ |access-date=September 7, 2022}}</ref> he resold it to [[Samuel Newhouse|Samuel]] and Mott Newhouse for $750,000<ref name="TL p. 53" /> or around $801,000.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|pp=32–33|ps=.}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1900-04-27" /> At the time, the Newhouse family did not consider a skyscraper on the flatiron site to be feasible because of engineering and architectural constraints.<ref name="TL pp. 53–54">{{harvnb|Tauranac|1985|ps=.|pages=53–54}}</ref> The Newhouses intended to erect a 12-story building with retail shops at street level and bachelor apartments above.<ref name="TL pp. 53–54" /><ref name="Alexiou p. 33">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=33|ps=.}}</ref> They announced plans for the building in November 1900,<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 27, 1900 |title=Gift for the Hall of Fame; Bronze Relief of Washington's Inauguration Presented – New York University Appointment. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1900/11/27/archives/gift-for-the-hall-of-fame-bronze-relief-of-washingtons-inauguration.html |access-date=September 4, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904025232/https://www.nytimes.com/1900/11/27/archives/gift-for-the-hall-of-fame-bronze-relief-of-washingtons-inauguration.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=November 26, 1900 |title=To Improve 'Eno's Flatiron' |pages=2 |work=The Standard Union |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108884730/to-improve-enos-flatiron/ |access-date=September 4, 2022 |archive-date=September 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904025231/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108884730/to-improve-enos-flatiron/ |url-status=live}}</ref> but the plans were not executed, even though the value of land lots in the city was increasing.<ref name="Alexiou p. 33" /> At the time, eight- to ten-story office and commercial buildings were being developed in the neighborhood, replacing older, shorter commercial structures.<ref>{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989|ps=.|p=22}}</ref>

== History ==
At the beginning of March 1901, media outlets reported that the Newhouse family was planning to sell "Eno's flatiron" for about $2 million to Cumberland Realty Company,<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 3, 1901 |title=In the Real Estate Field; Washington Heights Activity the Feature of a Lively Week |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1901/03/03/archives/in-the-real-estate-field-washington-heights-activity-the-feature-of.html |access-date=September 2, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603133442/https://www.nytimes.com/1901/03/03/archives/in-the-real-estate-field-washington-heights-activity-the-feature-of.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=March 2, 1901 |title=A Modern Office Building on the 23d St. Triangle |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_027&page=ldpd_7031148_027_00000465&no=2 |magazine=The Real Estate Record: Real estate record and builders' guide |volume=67 |pages=357 |via=[[Columbia University|columbia.edu]] |number=1720 |access-date=September 2, 2022 |archive-date=September 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220902233228/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_027&page=ldpd_7031148_027_00000465&no=2 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|pp=34–35|ps=.}}</ref> an investment partnership created by [[Harry S. Black]], CEO of the [[Fuller Company]].<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=35|ps=.}}</ref> The Fuller Company was the first true [[general contractor]] that dealt with all aspects of buildings' construction (except for design), and they specialized in erecting skyscrapers.<ref name="Alexiou pp. 35-36">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|pp=35–36|ps=.}}</ref> They were particularly experienced in designing towers on small sites, such as the [[Trinity and United States Realty Buildings]] in [[Lower Manhattan]].<ref name="TL p. 54">{{harvnb|Tauranac|1985|ps=.|page=54}}</ref> Black intended to construct a new headquarters building on the site, despite the recent deterioration of the surrounding neighborhood.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=41|ps=.}}</ref> At the end of that March, the Fuller Company organized a subsidiary to develop a building on the site.<ref name="Alexiou pp. 35-36" /><ref>{{cite magazine |date=March 30, 1901 |title=A Big Realty and Building Combination |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_027&page=ldpd_7031148_027_00000687&no=5 |magazine=The Real Estate Record: Real estate record and builders' guide |volume=67 |pages=545 |via=[[Columbia University|columbia.edu]] |number=1724 |access-date=September 2, 2022 |archive-date=September 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220902233223/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_027&page=ldpd_7031148_027_00000687&no=5 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=March 30, 1901 |title=Great Building Concern Organized; The George A. Fuller Company to Have $20,000,000 Capital – No Stock to Be Issued to the Public. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1901/03/30/archives/great-building-concern-organized-the-george-a-fuller-company-to.html |access-date=September 2, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220902233228/https://www.nytimes.com/1901/03/30/archives/great-building-concern-organized-the-george-a-fuller-company-to.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The sale was finalized in May 1901.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|pp=39–40|ps=.}}</ref>

=== Development ===
==== Plans and site-clearing ====
Black hired [[Daniel Burnham]]'s architectural firm to design a 21-story building on the site in February 1901.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=50|ps=.}}</ref> It would be Burnham's first in New York City,<ref name="treasure" /> the tallest building in Manhattan north of the [[Financial District, Manhattan|Financial District]],<ref name="LC p. 301">{{harvnb|Landau|Condit|1996|ps=.|p=301}}</ref> and the first skyscraper north of [[Union Square, Manhattan|Union Square]] (at [[14th Street (Manhattan)|14th Street]]).<ref name="Alexiou p. 60">{{harvnb|ps=.|Alexiou|2010|p=60}}</ref> The Northwestern Salvage and Wrecking Company began razing the site in May 1901, after the majority of existing tenants' leases had expired. Most of the Cumberland's remaining tenants readily vacated the building in exchange for monetary compensation.<ref name="Alexiou p. 55" /> The sole holdout was Winfield Scott Proskey, a retired colonel who refused to move out until his lease expired later that year.<ref name="Alexiou p. 55">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=55|ps=.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=May 17, 1901 |title=Col. Proskey on Guard; Found After a Long Climb with a Big Revolver Beside Him. Expects To-Day To End His Ladder Climbing and to Ride in Elevator – Reasons for Fighting Eviction. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1901/05/17/archives/col-proskey-on-guard-found-after-a-long-climb-with-a-big-revolver.html |access-date=September 7, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Cumberland Realty unsuccessfully attempted to deactivate Proskey's water and gas supply, and Proskey continued to live in the Cumberland while contractors demolished all of the surrounding apartments.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|pp=56–57|ps=.}}</ref> By the end of May 1901, Cumberland Realty discovered that Proskey was bankrupt,<ref name="Alexiou pp. 57-58">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|pp=57–58|ps=.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=May 29, 1901 |title=Realty Company's War With Col. Proskey; $10,000 Alleged Price of His Vacation of His Apartments. His Brother Denies That Any Money Was Demanded – The Bankruptcy of the Colonel. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1901/05/29/archives/realty-companys-war-with-col-proskey-10000-alleged-price-of-his.html |access-date=September 7, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and his creditors took over the lease and razed the rest of the Cumberland that June.<ref name="Alexiou pp. 57-58" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=June 6, 1901 |title=Col. Proskey's Lease Goes to Creditors; Defender of Sixth-Floor Apartment Declared a Bankrupt. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1901/06/06/archives/col-proskeys-lease-goes-to-creditors-defender-of-sixthfloor.html |access-date=September 7, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

The ''[[New York Herald]]'' published an image of the site on June 2, 1901, with the caption "Flatiron Building".<ref name="Alexiou p. 59" /> The project's structural engineer, Corydon Purdy, filed plans for a 20-story building on the site that August.<ref name="LC p. 302" /><ref name="Alexiou p. 73">{{harvnb|ps=.|Alexiou|2010|p=73}}</ref> The Flatiron Building was not the first building of its triangular ground-plan, although it was the largest at the time of its completion. Earlier buildings with a similar shape include one built in 1867 in [[Syracuse, New York]];<ref>{{cite web | title=The 1867 SA&K flatiron (wedge-shaped like a steam iron) building, now called City Hall Commons, a municipal building in Syracuse, New York | website=The Library of Congress | date=2019-09-17 | url=https://www.loc.gov/item/2018700365/ | access-date=2025-04-13}}</ref> a triangular Roman temple built on a similarly constricted site in the city of [[Verulamium|Verulamium, Britannia]];<ref>Noted, "Roman city in Britain had Flatiron Building", ''[[Science News|The Science News-Letter]]'' '''24''' No. 657 (November 11, 1933:311)</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=October 15, 1933 |title=Flatiron Building in Roman Britain: Temple of Triangular Design Is Uncovered on Site of Verulamium. |page=RE7 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|100859556}}}}</ref> Bridge House, [[Leeds]], England (1875);<ref>{{cite news |title=BAM Picked to Build Leeds' Flat Iron Revival |agency=Construction Index |url=https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/bam-picked-to-build-leeds-flat-iron-revival |access-date=October 5, 2020 |archive-date=April 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416161242/https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/bam-picked-to-build-leeds-flat-iron-revival |url-status=live}}</ref> the [[I.O.O.F. Centennial Building]] (1876) in [[Alpena, Michigan]];<ref>{{cite news |last1=Freedman |first1=Eric |date=February 9, 2016 |title=Michigan Gets Four Historic Places Designations |newspaper=[[Capital News Service (Michigan)|Great Lakes Echo]] |url=http://greatlakesecho.org/2016/02/09/michigan-gets-four-historic-places-designations/ |access-date=June 7, 2016 |archive-date=August 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816194145/http://greatlakesecho.org/2016/02/09/michigan-gets-four-historic-places-designations/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[English-American Building]] in [[Atlanta]] (1897).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dewan |first=Shaila |date=April 30, 2009 |title=An Elaborate Arch, An Opaque Significance |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/us/30arch.html |access-date=September 7, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><!-- the [[Historic Inns of Annapolis#The Maryland Inn|Maryland Inn]] in [[Annapolis]] (1782); the [[Hanover Square, Syracuse|Granger Block]] in [[Syracuse, New York]] (1869); the [[Phelan Building]] in [[San Francisco]] (1881); the [[Gooderham Building]] of [[Toronto]] (1892)--> The ''Real Estate Record and Guide'' published a drawing of the building in October 1901; though the drawing was captioned "The Cumberland", it was very similar to the Flatiron Building's final design.<ref name="LC p. 303" />{{efn|The drawing mistakenly cited [[Bruce Price]] as the building's architect, since the details were very similar to those in Price's [[American Surety Building]].<ref name="LC p. 303" />}}

==== Construction ====
The [[Atlantic Terra Cotta Company]] began producing [[architectural terracotta]] pieces for the building in August 1901. Around the same time, the [[New York City Department of Buildings]] (DOB) indicated that it would refuse to approve Purdy's initial plans unless the engineers submitted detailed information about the framework, fireproofing, and wind-bracing systems.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|pp=75–76|ps=.}}</ref> Purdy complied with most of the DOB's requests, submitting detailed drawings and documents, but he balked at the department's requirement that the design include [[fire escape]]s.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|pp=77–78|ps=.}}</ref> For reasons that are unclear, the DOB dropped its requirement that the building contain fire escapes.<ref name="Alexiou p. 79">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=79|ps=.}}</ref> In addition, the building was originally legally required to contain metal-framed windows, although this would have increased the cost of construction.<ref name="Alexiou p. 79" /><ref name="nyt-1901-11-28" /> The city's Board of Building Commissioners had granted an exemption to Black's syndicate, prompting allegations of favoritism.<ref name="nyt-1901-11-28">{{Cite news |date=November 28, 1901 |title=The Building Code Violated, Say Lawyers; Favoritism Charged in the Case of Broadway Skyscrapers |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1901/11/28/archives/the-building-code-violated-say-lawyers-favoritism-charged-in-the.html |access-date=September 4, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904164421/https://www.nytimes.com/1901/11/28/archives/the-building-code-violated-say-lawyers-favoritism-charged-in-the.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=80|ps=.}}</ref> A new Buildings Department commissioner was appointed at the beginning of 1902, promising to enforce city building codes; this prompted general contractor [[Thompson–Starrett Co.]] to announce that the building's window frames would be made of fireproof wood with a copper coating.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=81|ps=.}}</ref>

[[File:Flatiron Building Construction, New York Times - Library of Congress, 1901-1902 crop.JPG|thumb|left|upright=1.5|alt=A diagram depicting the phases of the Flatiron Building's construction|Construction phases]]

The building's steel frame was manufactured by the [[American Bridge Company]] in [[Pennsylvania]].<ref name="LC p. 434" /><ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=94|ps=.}}</ref> The frame had risen above street level by January 1902.<ref name="treasure" /><ref name="Alexiou p. 95" /> Construction was then halted for several weeks, first because of a delay in steel shipments, then because of a blizzard that occurred in February.<ref name="Alexiou p. 95">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=95|ps=.}}</ref> Further delays were caused by a strike at the factory of [[Hecla Iron Works]], which was manufacturing elevators and handrails for the building.<ref name="Alexiou p. 108">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=108|ps=.}}</ref> The steel was so meticulously pre-cut that, according to ''[[The New York Times]]'', the steel pieces could be connected "without so much as the alteration of a bored hole, or the exchange of a tiny rivet".<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=99|ps=.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=October 18, 1903 |title=Wind-Bracing In New Times Building; Fiercest Gales Will Have No Terrors for the Structure. Three Types of Diagonal Strengthening Will Give Great Stability – Other Details. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1903/10/18/archives/windbracing-in-new-times-building-fiercest-gales-will-have-no.html |access-date=September 7, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Workers used air-powered tools to [[rivet]] the steel beams together, since such equipment was more efficient than steam-powered tools at conducting power over long distances.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=98|ps=.}}</ref><ref name="nyt-2004-08-01" /> The frame was complete by February 1902,<ref name="treasure" /> and workers began installing the terracotta tiles as the framework of the top stories was being finished.<ref name="Alexiou pp. 99-100" /> By mid-May, the building was half-covered by terracotta tiling.<ref name="treasure" /><ref name="Alexiou p. 106">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=106|ps=.}}</ref> The terracotta work was completed the next month,<ref name="Alexiou p. 109" /> and the scaffolding in front of the building was removed.<ref name="Alexiou p. 109">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=109|ps=.}}</ref><ref name="p571209603">{{cite news |date=June 29, 1902 |title=New-York Has Many Impressive Skyscrapers but None More Remarkable Than the Flatiron |page=B3 |work=New-York Tribune |id={{ProQuest|571209603}}}}</ref> The Fifth Avenue Building Company had invested $1.5 million in the project.<ref name="p571209603" />

Officials of the Fuller Company announced in August 1902 that the structure would be officially named after [[George A. Fuller]], founder of the Fuller Company and "father of the skyscraper", who had died two years earlier.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 9, 1902 |title=Flatiron Structure to Be Called the Fuller Building |language=en-US |page=3 |work=The New York Times |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1902/08/09/118475079.html |url-access=limited |access-date=June 3, 2020 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907134147/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1902/08/09/118475079.html |url-status=live}}</ref> By then, the site had been known as the "[[Clothes iron|flatiron]]" for several years;<ref name="nyt-2004-08-01">{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=August 1, 2004 |title=Streetscapes/Readers' Questions; From Flat Iron to Flatiron, And an Emery Roth 6-Story |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/01/realestate/streetscapes-readers-questions-flat-iron-flatiron-emery-roth-6-story.html |access-date=September 5, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214153043/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/01/realestate/streetscapes-readers-questions-flat-iron-flatiron-emery-roth-6-story.html |url-status=live}}</ref> according to [[Christopher Gray (architectural historian)|Christopher Gray]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'', Burnham's and Fuller's architectural drawings even labeled the structure as the "Flatiron Building".<ref name="nyt-1991-07-21">{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=July 21, 1991 |title=Streetscapes: The Flatiron Building; Suddenly, A Landmark Startles Again |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/21/realestate/streetscapes-the-flatiron-building-suddenly-a-landmark-startles-again.html |access-date=September 5, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927000103/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/21/realestate/streetscapes-the-flatiron-building-suddenly-a-landmark-startles-again.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Although the Fuller name was used for some time after the building's completion,<ref name="LC p. 302" /> locals persisted in calling it the Flatiron, to the displeasure of Harry Black and the building's contractors.<ref name="Alexiou pp. 106-107" /> In subsequent years, the edifice officially came to be known as the Flatiron Building,{{sfn|Brown|Dixon|Gillham|2014}}<ref name="nyt-1933-07-02" /> and the Fuller name was transferred to a newer 40-story structure at [[597 Madison Avenue]].<ref name="nyt-1933-07-02" /><ref>{{cite news |date=December 2, 1928 |title=40 Floors Will Top Old Church Site on Madison Av. Corner: Building Will Be Built Over Bank of Six-Story Shops; Art Trade Is Favored |page=D2 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1113697170}}}}</ref>

=== Fuller Company ownership ===
In the weeks before the official opening, the Fuller Company distributed six-page brochures to potential tenants and real-estate brokers.<ref name="Alexiou pp. 122-123">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|pp=122–123|ps=.}}</ref> The brochures advertised the building as being "ready for occupancy" on October 1, 1902.<ref name="Alexiou pp. 122-123" /><ref name="nyt-2002-09-30">{{Cite news |last=Collins |first=Glenn |date=September 30, 2002 |title=A 100-Year View Of a Landmark Brushing the Sky; Other Buildings Rise Higher, But Flatiron Still Stands Out |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/30/nyregion/100-year-view-landmark-brushing-sky-other-buildings-rise-higher-but-flatiron.html |access-date=September 5, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927231327/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/30/nyregion/100-year-view-landmark-brushing-sky-other-buildings-rise-higher-but-flatiron.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The Fuller Company took the 19th floor for its headquarters.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|pp=140–141|ps=.}}</ref> When completed, the Flatiron Building was much taller than others in the neighborhood; when [[New York City Fire Department]] officials tested the building's [[Standpipe (firefighting)|standpipes]] in November 1902, they found that "the 'flat-iron' building would be of great aid in fighting the fire" in any surrounding buildings.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 17, 1902 |title=Water Exhibition in a Skyscraper; Two-Hour Test of Standpipe in the Flatiron Building. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1902/11/17/archives/water-exhibition-in-a-skysgraper-twohour-test-of-standpipe-in-the.html |access-date=September 4, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904164424/https://www.nytimes.com/1902/11/17/archives/water-exhibition-in-a-skysgraper-twohour-test-of-standpipe-in-the.html |url-status=live}}</ref> It was the seventh-tallest building in Manhattan, behind the [[Park Row Building]], [[Manhattan Life Insurance Building]], [[St. Paul Building]], [[American Surety Building]], [[American Tract Building]], and [[Empire Building (Manhattan)|Empire Building]].<ref name="Korom 2013 p. 219">{{cite book |last=Korom |first=Joseph J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j1E07CeLNWcC&pg=PA219 |title=Skyscraper Facades of the Gilded Age: Fifty-One Extravagant Designs, 1875–1910 |publisher=McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-7864-9326-5 |series=Academic & Nonfiction Books anthology |page=219}}</ref> Following the building's completion, the surrounding neighborhood evolved from an entertainment district to a commercial hub.<ref name="LC p. 304">{{harvnb|Landau|Condit|1996|ps=.|p=304}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1952-08-11">{{Cite news |date=August 11, 1952 |title=Topics of The Times |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1952/08/11/archives/topics-of-the-times.html |access-date=September 6, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907134119/https://www.nytimes.com/1952/08/11/archives/topics-of-the-times.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Initially, the building was topped by a flagpole, which was maintained by one man, "Steeplejack" Kay, for four decades.<ref>{{cite news |date=August 17, 1939 |title=Steeplejack, 63, Ends Pole Painting Task |page=18 |work=The Hartford Courant |id={{ProQuest|559211507}}}}</ref> [[Henry Clay Frick]] expressed interest in purchasing the structure in 1904 for $5 million, but he ultimately withdrew his offer.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=August 1, 1904 |title=End of the Building Boom in New York |volume=11 |issue=8 |page=20 |id={{proQuest|753915550}} |magazine=Builder}}</ref>

==== Modifications ====
During the building's construction, Black had suggested that the [[#Cowcatcher space|"cowcatcher"]] retail space be installed at the northern tip of the building, occupying {{convert|93|ft2|m2}} of unused space at the extreme northern end of the lot. This would maximize use of the building's lot and produce some retail income.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=101|ps=.}}</ref> Burnham initially refused to consider Black's suggestion, and, in April 1902, Black asked a draftsman at the Fuller Company to draw up plans for the retail space.<ref name="Alexiou p. 102">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=102|ps=.}}</ref> Black submitted plans for the annex to the DOB in May 1902. The DOB rejected the initial plans because the walls were too thin, but the department approved a revised proposal that June, to Burnham's disapproval.<ref name="Alexiou pp. 102-103" /> The retail space in the "cowcatcher" was leased by [[United Cigar Stores]].<ref name="Alexiou p. 89" />

Another addition to the building not in the original plan was the penthouse, which was constructed after the rest of the building had been completed.<ref name="n108917576">{{Cite news |date=July 6, 1952 |title=Flatiron Building Built in N.Y. 50 Years Ago |pages=23 |work=The Central New Jersey Home News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108917576/flatiron-building-built-in-ny-50/ |access-date=September 4, 2022 |archive-date=September 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904173038/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108917576/flatiron-building-built-in-ny-50/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Alexiou pp. 201-202" /> By 1905, the Fuller Company needed to expand its [[technical drawing]] facilities. As a result, the company filed plans for a penthouse with the [[New York City Department of Buildings]] that March.<ref name="r-7031148_035_00000710">{{cite magazine |date=March 25, 1905 |title=Building Notes |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_035&page=ldpd_7031148_035_00000710&no=13 |magazine=The Real Estate Record: Real estate record and builders' guide |volume=75 |pages=532 |via=[[Columbia University|columbia.edu]] |number=1932 |access-date=September 5, 2022 |archive-date=September 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905183916/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_035&page=ldpd_7031148_035_00000710&no=13 |url-status=live}}</ref> The penthouse would cost $10,000 and would include fireproof partitions and a staircase from the existing 20th floor.<ref name="r-7031148_035_00000710" /><ref name="nyt-1905-03-23">{{Cite news |date=March 23, 1905 |title=Flatiron Going Higher. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1905/03/23/archives/flatiron-going-higher.html |access-date=September 5, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905183919/https://www.nytimes.com/1905/03/23/archives/flatiron-going-higher.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The penthouse, intended for use as artists' studios, was quickly rented out to artists such as [[Louis Fancher]], many of whom contributed to the [[pulp magazine]]s which were produced in the offices below.<ref name="Alexiou pp. 201-202">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|pp=201–202|ps=.}}</ref>

{{clear left}}

==== Early tenants ====
Besides the Fuller Company, the Flatiron's other original tenants included publishers such as magazine publishing pioneer [[Frank Munsey]]<ref name="Alexiou p. 133" /> and ''American Architect and Building News''.<ref name="Alexiou p. 138" /> An insurance company, the [[AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company|Equitable Life Assurance Society]], leased nearly the entire third floor.<ref name="Alexiou p. 139" /><ref name="nyt-1902-07-062">{{Cite news |date=July 6, 1902 |title=New York's Latest Curiosity; Crowds Collecting Every Day to Look Up at 'The Flat Iron' – Beats the Dewey Arch as an Attraction to Madison Square – Building Cranks and Sidewalk Wits Hold Forth. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1902/07/06/archives/new-yorks-latest-curiosity-crowds-collecting-every-day-to-look-up.html |access-date=September 4, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904164420/https://www.nytimes.com/1902/07/06/archives/new-yorks-latest-curiosity-crowds-collecting-every-day-to-look-up.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Small businesses also occupied the Flatiron, including a patent medicine company; the Western Specialty Manufacturing Company;<ref name="Alexiou p. 139" /> and Whitehead & Hoag, which made celluloid novelties.<ref name="Alexiou p. 141" /><ref>{{cite news |date=April 3, 1904 |title=Fire in the Flatiron: Firemen Use Building's Standpipes on Twentieth Story |page=5 |work=New-York Tribune |id={{ProQuest|571539757}}}}</ref> Other tenants included an overflow of music publishers from "[[Tin Pan Alley]]" on [[28th Street (Manhattan)|28th Street]];<ref name="Alexiou p. 138" /> a landscape architect;<ref name="Alexiou p. 139">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=139|ps=.}}</ref> the [[Russian Empire|Imperial Russian]] Consulate, which took up three floors;<ref name="p1454027682" /> the [[New York State Athletic Commission]];<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 13, 1923 |title=Boxing Body Holds Right to Dethrone; Commission Quotes Law Defending Walker Ruling – Willie Ritchie Gets License |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1923/06/13/archives/boxing-body-holds-right-to-dethrone-commission-quotes-law-defending.html |access-date=September 5, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905205458/https://www.nytimes.com/1923/06/13/archives/boxing-body-holds-right-to-dethrone-commission-quotes-law-defending.html |url-status=live}}</ref> the Bohemian Guides Society;<ref name="Alexiou p. 139" /> the Roebling Construction Company, owned by the sons of [[Tammany Hall]] boss [[Richard Croker]]; and the crime syndicate [[Murder, Inc.]]<ref name="Alexiou p. 141">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=141|ps=.}}</ref> The puppeteer [[Tony Sarg]] had a studio in the Flatiron Building during the 1910s.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Thorold |first1=W. J. |last2=Hornblow |first2=A. |last3=Maxwell |first3=P. |last4=Beach |first4=S. |title=Theatre Magazine |publisher=Theatre Magazine Company |issue=26 |year=1917 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YeIxAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA138 |page=138}}</ref> Harry Black moved the Fuller Company's offices in 1911 to the [[Trinity Building]] at 111 Broadway, where its parent company, U.S. Realty, had its offices.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=214|ps=.}}</ref> U.S. Realty moved its offices back to the Flatiron in 1916.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=244|ps=.}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1991-07-21" />

[[File:Colonel Donovan and staff of 165th Infantry, passing under the Victory Arch, New York City., 1919 - NARA - 533479.jpg|thumb|upright=1|alt=A 1919 image of the 165th Infantry Regiment passing through Madison Square's Victory Arch. The Flatiron Building is in the background.|After the end of [[World War I|World War&nbsp;I]], the [[165th Infantry Regiment]] passes through the [[Madison Square#Ceremonial arches|Victory Arch]] in [[Madison Square]], with the Flatiron Building in the background (1919).]]

The building's vast cellar extended into the vaults that went more than {{convert|20|ft|m}} under the surrounding streets.<ref name="Alexiou p. 89" /> Initial plans called for a [[ratskeller]] to be opened within the vaults, but Manhattan borough president [[Jacob A. Cantor]] had objected to the plans.<ref name="p571180508">{{cite news |date=May 13, 1902 |title=Cantor May Revoke Permit: Thinks Flatiron Syndicate Should Pay More for Rathskeller Under Streets |page=4 |work=New-York Tribune |id={{ProQuest|571180508}}}}</ref> Ultimately, part of the basement was occupied by the Flatiron Restaurant, which could seat 1,500 patrons and was open from breakfast through late supper for those taking in a performance at one of the many [[Rialto, Manhattan|theatres which lined Broadway between 14th and 23rd Streets]].<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=14-|ps=.}}</ref> In the building's early years, [[sightseeing bus]]es would bring visitors to the Flatiron Restaurant and to the 21st-story observation deck.<ref name="nyt-2002-09-30" /> In 1911, the building introduced a restaurant/club in the basement. It was among the first of its kind that allowed a black jazz band to perform, thus introducing [[ragtime]] to affluent New Yorkers.{{sfn|Alexiou|2010}}

Even before construction on the Flatiron Building had begun, the area around [[Madison Square]] had started to deteriorate somewhat. After U.S. Realty constructed the [[New York Hippodrome]], [[Madison Square Garden II|Madison Square Garden]] was no longer the venue of choice, and survived largely by staging [[boxing]] matches. The base of the Flatiron became a cruising spot for gay men, including some male [[prostitutes]].{{sfn|Alexiou|2010|p=233}} Nonetheless, in 1911 the Flatiron Restaurant was bought by Louis Bustanoby, of the well-known [[Bryant Park Studios#Ground floor and basement|Café des Beaux-Arts]], and converted into a trendy 400-seat French restaurant, Taverne Louis. As an innovation to attract customers from another restaurant opened by his brothers, Bustanoby hired a black musical group, [[Louis Mitchell]] and his Southern Symphony Quintette, to play dance tunes at the Taverne and the Café. [[Irving Berlin]] heard the group at the Taverne and suggested that they should try to get work in London, which they did.{{efn|Mitchell would later become a headliner and nightclub owner in [[Paris]], becoming a millionaire before losing his fortune. He returned to the U.S., where he drove a beer truck in [[Washington, D.C.]]{{sfn|Alexiou|2010|pp=232–234, 261–264}}}} The Taverne also welcomed a gay clientele, which then was unusual for a restaurant of its type.{{sfn|Alexiou|2010|pp=220–227}} The Taverne was forced to close after [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]] negatively impacted restaurant business.{{sfn|Alexiou|2010|p=245}}

When the U.S. entered [[World War I]], the Federal government instituted a "Wake Up America!" campaign, and the United Cigar store in the Flatiron's cowcatcher donated its space to the [[U.S. Navy]] for use as a [[Military recruitment|recruiting]] center. [[Liberty Bonds]] were sold outside on sidewalk stands.{{sfn|Alexiou|2010|p=232}}

===Rosenbaum and Equitable ownership===

[[File:The Smart Set February 1922.jpg|thumb|The Flatiron Building on a magazine cover in 1922]]

In March 1925, Black agreed to sell the Flatiron Building to a syndicate led by [[Lewis Rosenbaum]], which also owned numerous other notable buildings around the U.S. Although the sale price was not revealed, the building was valued at $2 million, about the same as what Black had paid to buy the lot and erecting the Flatiron.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 11, 1925 |title=Historic Flatiron Building Sold to Syndicate; Famous Skyscraper Assessed at $2,025,000 |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1925/03/11/archives/historic-flatiron-building-sold-to-syndicate-famous-skyscraper.html |access-date=September 5, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905205447/https://www.nytimes.com/1925/03/11/archives/historic-flatiron-building-sold-to-syndicate-famous-skyscraper.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=March 11, 1925 |title=Realty News: Flatiron Building Sold To Syndicate |magazine=Women's Wear |volume=30 |issue=58 |pages=40 |id={{ProQuest|1677125038}}}}</ref> The syndicate paid $500,000 in cash and covered the remainder of the purchase price with a long-term mortgage;<ref>{{cite news |date=March 11, 1925 |title=Flatiron Building Sold to Group Including Former Sheriff Knott |page=1 |work=The New York Herald, New York Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1112897983}}}}</ref> the transaction provided cash for the financially struggling U.S. Realty Company.{{sfn|Alexiou|2010|pp=244–45}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 14, 1925 |title=U.S. Realty Co. Net Advanced $858,492; Sale of the Hippodrome Not Included in Report for the Past Fiscal Year. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1925/05/14/archives/us-realty-co-net-advanced-858492-sale-of-the-hippodrome-not.html |access-date=September 5, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907134119/https://www.nytimes.com/1925/05/14/archives/us-realty-co-net-advanced-858492-sale-of-the-hippodrome-not.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Many pottery, glassware, and china firms leased space for display firms within the Flatiron Building through the late 1920s.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=October 1, 1928 |title=Flatiron Building New Trade Centre |page=60 |id={{ProQuest|763517030}} |magazine=Crockery & Glass Journal}}</ref> Additionally, drug-store chain [[Walgreens]] opened a store within the "cowcatcher" space in 1927, replacing the United Cigar store.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 6, 1927 |title=Chicago Drug Chain Leases Two Stores; Walgreen Company Rents Space in the Flatiron and Paramount Buildings – Other Leases. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/08/06/archives/chicago-drug-chain-leases-two-stores-walgreen-company-rents-space.html |access-date=September 5, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905205449/https://www.nytimes.com/1927/08/06/archives/chicago-drug-chain-leases-two-stores-walgreen-company-rents-space.html |url-status=live}}</ref> By then, many businesses were moving farther northward,<ref name="nyt-1933-07-02" /> including the Fuller Company, which left permanently for the Fuller Building on Madison Avenue in 1929.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 8, 1929 |title=Fuller Offices Moved: Company to Occupy Four Floors in New Building. |language=en-US |page=RE6 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/09/08/91932038.pdf |access-date=April 9, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=September 8, 1929 |title=Fuller Co. Moves North |page=D4 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1112001934}}}}</ref> The Flatiron's operating costs were increasing, and its income decreased greatly with the onset of the [[Great Depression]] in 1929.<ref name="nyt-1933-07-02" /> The Flatiron had long since been surpassed in height by other structures, and its roof was "of interest chiefly for its historic associations".<ref name="nyt-1929-03-10">{{Cite news |last=Andrews |first=F. Emerson |date=March 10, 1929 |title=New York Roofs Hold a Life of Their Own; On a Skyscraper Roof Sports on a Church-Top. The Roofs of Times Square. The Roof and the Radio. Theatres in the Open. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1929/03/10/archives/new-york-roofs-hold-a-life-of-their-own-on-a-skyscraper-roof-sports.html |access-date=September 5, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905205458/https://www.nytimes.com/1929/03/10/archives/new-york-roofs-hold-a-life-of-their-own-on-a-skyscraper-roof-sports.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

The Equitable Life Assurance Society sued to [[Foreclosure|foreclose]] upon the building's mortgage in March 1933 after the owners [[Default (finance)|defaulted]] on mortgage payments. The mortgage had an unpaid [[Principal (finance)|principal]] of more than $1 million, and the owners had not paid interest in more than a year.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 2, 1933 |title=Sues to Foreclose on Flatiron Building; Equitable Petitions for Sale of Famous Structure Alleging $1,175,000 Default. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/03/02/archives/sues-to-foreclose-on-flatiron-building-equitable-petitions-for-sale.html |access-date=September 3, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904000620/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/03/02/archives/sues-to-foreclose-on-flatiron-building-equitable-petitions-for-sale.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=March 2, 1933 |title=Foreclosure Suit Is Filed Against Flatiron Building |page=25 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1240053932}}}}</ref> The building was placed for sale at a foreclosure auction,<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 25, 1933 |title=Skyscrapers Offered; Flatiron Building and 120 Wall Street in Auction List. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/06/25/archives/skyscrapers-offered-flatiron-building-and-120-wall-street-in.html |access-date=September 5, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and Equitable acquired the building on June 30 for $100,000, submitting the only bid at the auction.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 1, 1933 |title=Flatiron Bid in at Auction Sale; Equitable Life, As Plaintiff, Pays $100,000 For Well-Known Building |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/07/01/archives/flatiron-bid-in-at-auction-sale-equitable-life-as-plaintiff-pays.html |access-date=September 3, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904000616/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/07/01/archives/flatiron-bid-in-at-auction-sale-equitable-life-as-plaintiff-pays.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=July 1, 1933 |title=Real Estate News: Flatiron Tower Changes Hands In Foreclosure Equitable Life Purchases Old Broadway Landmark With Bid of $100,000 |page=25 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1242840608}}}}</ref> To attract tenants, Equitable upgraded some parts of the building in 1941.<ref name="p106080005">{{cite news |date=May 4, 1941 |title=Flatiron Building Gets New Tenants: Modernization Work in Fifth Avenue Landmark Aids Renting Activity |page=RE1 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|106080005}}}}</ref> The original cast-iron birdcage elevators, which consisted of rubber-tiled cabs built by [[Hecla Iron Works]], were replaced with enclosed cabs; however, the hydraulic power system remained in place.<ref name="p106080005" /><ref name="Alexiou p. 264">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=264|ps=.}}</ref> In addition, the lobby's open grillwork partitions were replaced with marble partitions.<ref name="p106080005" /> The building's heat, light, and elevators were maintained by a team of eight engineers, who sometimes went on [[Strike action|strike]].<ref name="p1269899978">{{cite news |last=Bird |first=Robert S. |date=March 22, 1944 |title=Flatiron Building Strike Halts Elevators, Cuts Off Heat, Light |page=16 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1269899978}}}}</ref>

By the mid-1940s, the building was fully rented,<ref name="Alexiou p. 264" /> and clothing and toy companies took up much of the space.<ref name="treasure" /><ref name="p106080005" /> In addition, the building was occupied by firms such as a paper company, an advertiser, and ''[[Baseball Magazine]]''.<ref name="p106080005" />

=== Helmsley-Spear management ===
Equitable sold the building in October 1945 to an investment syndicate led by lawyer Max Silverstein; at the time, the structure was valued at $1.05 million.<ref name="nyt-1945-10-26">{{Cite news |date=October 26, 1945 |title=Flatiron Building Sold by Equitable; In New Ownership |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1945/10/26/archives/flatiron-building-sold-by-equitable-in-new-ownership.html |access-date=September 6, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907134246/https://www.nytimes.com/1945/10/26/archives/flatiron-building-sold-by-equitable-in-new-ownership.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=October 26, 1945 |title=Building Firm Buys Leasehold On West 42d St.: Thompson-Starrett Closes $8,250,000 Deal for Woolworth Store Sites |page=33 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1322153396}}}}</ref> [[Harry Helmsley]]'s firm Dwight-Helmsley (later [[Helmsley-Spear]]) brokered the sale and continued to manage the property.<ref name="Alexiou p. 265" /><ref name="nyt-1945-10-26" /> By 1946, the partnership of Flatiron Associates owned the building, and Dwight-Helmsley owned a minority stake in the partnership.<ref name="Alexiou p. 265">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=265|ps=.}}</ref> The new owners made some superficial changes in the early 1950s, such as adding a dropped ceiling to the lobby and replacing the original mahogany-paneled entrances with revolving doors.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=267|ps=.}}</ref><ref name="Grant">{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/money/lifting-ride-water-powered-elevator-article-1.822421 |title=Lifting the Past Ride Over for Water-Powered Elevator |last1=Grant |first1=Peter |date=June 21, 1999 |newspaper=[[New York Daily News]] |access-date=March 13, 2018 |archive-date=March 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180314042655/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/money/lifting-ride-water-powered-elevator-article-1.822421 |url-status=live}}</ref> After architect George C. Rudolph remodeled the main entrance, the 23rd Street Association gave Dwight-Helmsley an award in 1953, recognizing the firm's "contribution to the development of the Twenty-third Street area".<ref>{{cite news |date=May 24, 1953 |title=Remodeled Building Wins Recognition |page=R1 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|112808620}}}}</ref> By then, the surrounding area had become largely industrial, with many companies in the publishing, clothing, toy, and manufacturing industries.<ref name="nyt-1952-08-11" />

[[File:Flatiron Building 252930243 a57b1b3f78.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|alt=A view from the inside of an office at the pointed section of the building|A view from the inside of a "point" office]]

In 1959, [[St. Martin's Press]] moved into the building, and gradually its parent company, [[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]], rented other offices as they became available.<ref>{{cite enc-nyc2 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=lF_uDwAAQBAJ 591]}}</ref> During its tenancy, Macmillan renovated some of the Flatiron Building's floors<ref name="era">{{Cite news |last=Margolies |first=Jane |date=June 28, 2019 |title=End of an Era for the Flatiron Building |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/28/nyregion/flatiron-building-nyc.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416164056/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/28/nyregion/flatiron-building-nyc.html |archive-date=April 16, 2021 |access-date=June 4, 2021 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> for its imprints such as [[Tor Books|Tor/Forge]], [[Picador (imprint)|Picador]] and [[Henry Holt and Company]].<ref name="macmillan">{{Cite web |url=http://us.macmillan.com/splash/about/index.html |title=Macmillan: About |access-date=February 23, 2008 |archive-date=July 1, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701130612/http://us.macmillan.com/splash/about/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref> St. Martin's Press president [[Thomas McCormack (writer)|Thomas McCormack]] had an office within the building's prow.<ref name="nyt-1983-03-25">{{Cite news |last=Mitgang |first=Herbert |date=March 25, 1983 |title=Publishing: Companies Setting Up 'Downtown' |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/25/books/publishing-companies-setting-up-downtown.html |access-date=September 6, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524142352/http://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/25/books/publishing-companies-setting-up-downtown.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Moss |first=Linda |date=November 16, 1987 |title=St. Martin's Pens a New Tale: Hefty Bids Yield Best Sellers |magazine=Crain's New York Business |volume=3 |issue=46 |page=3 |id={{ProQuest|219112033}}}}</ref> According to McCormack, the company's authors were "fascinated" by the building; he said it was "the only office I know of where you can stand in one place and see the [[East River]], the [[Hudson River|Hudson]] and [[Central Park]] without moving".<ref name="nyt-1983-03-25" /> Macmillan wrote about the building:

<blockquote>The Flatiron's interior is known for having its strangely-shaped offices with walls that cut through at an angle on their way to the skyscraper's famous point. These "point" offices are the most coveted and feature amazing northern views that look directly upon another famous Manhattan landmark, the [[Empire State Building]].<ref name="macmillan" /></blockquote>

The Helmsley/Flatiron Associates ownership structure was a [[tenancy-in-common]], in which all co-owners had to agree on any action, as opposed to a straightforward [[partnership]], in which only a majority of co-owners needed to agree.<ref name="p219153356">{{cite magazine |last=Grant |first=Peter |date=August 14, 1995 |title=Partners Battling Helmsleys |magazine=Crain's New York Business |volume=11 |issue=33 |page=4 |id={{ProQuest|219153356}}}}</ref><ref name="Alexiou pp. 266-267" /> Hence, it was difficult to get permission for necessary repairs and improvements, and the building declined during the Helmsley/Flatiron Associates era.<ref name="Alexiou pp. 266-267">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|pp=266–267|ps=.}}</ref><ref name="Grant" /> The surrounding neighborhood declined for several decades, and many of the area's longtime commercial tenants had started to move out.<ref name="Alexiou p. 268">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=268|ps=.}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1990-07-22">{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=July 22, 1990 |title=Commercial Property: Ladies' Mile; Some Landmarks Languish as a Precinct Prospers |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/22/realestate/commercial-property-ladies-mile-some-landmarks-languish-precinct-prospers-david.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525201626/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/22/realestate/commercial-property-ladies-mile-some-landmarks-languish-precinct-prospers-david.html |archive-date=May 25, 2015 |access-date=September 6, 2022 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> An "anonymous-looking importing firm" occupied the "cowcatcher" retail space, for which there was relatively little demand.<ref name="nyt-1990-07-22" /> The 21st floor and several stories below it were slightly damaged during a fire in 1972.<ref>{{cite news |date=May 6, 1972 |title=Fire Damages a Floor Of the Flatiron Building |page=38 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|119565047}}}}</ref> By the late 1980s, one broker said that "the elevators are bad and the facade is dirty" at the Flatiron Building;<ref name="p219116848" /> in particular, there was graffiti across the base, while the rest of the facade was covered in soot.<ref name="Alexiou p. 268" /> Several of Helmsley's other buildings were similarly rundown.<ref name="p219116848">{{cite magazine |last=Sommerfield |first=Frank |date=May 23, 1988 |title=The Inevitable Fall |magazine=Crain's New York Business |volume=4 |issue=21 |page=27 |id={{ProQuest|219116848}}}}</ref>

The facade of the Flatiron Building was restored in 1991 by the firm of Hurley & Farinella.<ref name="nyt-1991-07-21" /><ref name="aia">{{harvnb|ps=.|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|p=237}}</ref> As part of the project, the lobby was renovated, and the terracotta details were also repaired.<ref name="nyt-1993-07-11">{{Cite news |last=Lueck |first=Thomas J. |date=July 11, 1993 |title=Commercial Property: The Flatiron Building; Charm and Favorable Rents Nail Publishers Down |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/11/realestate/commercial-property-flatiron-building-charm-favorable-rents-nail-publishers-down.html |access-date=September 6, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421183251/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/11/realestate/commercial-property-flatiron-building-charm-favorable-rents-nail-publishers-down.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, [[C.P. Company]] leased the ground floor and renovated the space into a clothing store,<ref name="nyt-1990-08-16" /><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Moin |first=David |date=May 9, 1990 |title=C.P. Company Store Set For New York |magazine=Women's Wear Daily |volume=159 |issue=91 |pages=4 |id={{ProQuest|1445703956}}}}</ref> which opened in February 1991.<ref>{{cite news |date=February 21, 1991 |title=Flatiron Building Gets Renovation and a New Tenant |page=C.6 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|427965333}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Scaduto |first1=Anthony |last2=Vaughan |first2=Doug |last3=Stasi |first3=Linda |date=February 20, 1991 |title=Inside New York |page=11 |work=Newsday |id={{ProQuest|278357531}}}}</ref> Bentley LaRosa Salasky designed the store's facade, while Cordero Progetti redesigned the interior, exposing the columns at the building's prow.<ref name="nyt-1990-08-16">{{Cite news |last=Stephens |first=Suzanne |date=August 16, 1990 |title=Currents; Modern Business Surge At the Flatiron Building |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/16/garden/currents-modern-business-surge-at-the-flatiron-building.html |access-date=September 5, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905030512/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/16/garden/currents-modern-business-surge-at-the-flatiron-building.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The surrounding neighborhood's reputation had started to improve, and all of the Flatiron Building's space was under lease.<ref name="nyt-1990-07-22" /> Numerous publishing firms relocated to the area in the late 20th century, and, by the early 1990s, the building's two largest tenants were publishing firms. St. Martin's Press renewed its lease for ten stories of the building in 1993, with an option to expand into smaller tenants' space when their leases expired. Simultaneously, [[Springer–Verlag]] renewed its lease for six stories and secured an option for four additional stories.<ref name="nyt-1993-07-11" /> The C.P. Company store only operated until 1996.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Socha |first=Miles |date=August 22, 1996 |title=C.P To Shut Flatiron Flagship, Reopen In Different NY Site |magazine=Women's Wear Daily |volume=172 |issue=37 |pages=12 |id={{ProQuest|1445761879}}}}</ref>

=== Newmark management and split ownership ===
By 1995, some of the partners at Flatiron Associates wanted to hire real-estate firm [[Newmark Grubb Knight Frank|Newmark & Company]] to replace Helmsley-Spear as the property's managing agent. The dissenting co-owners claimed that Helmsley-Spear was overpaying for elevator maintenance and cleaning. However, the Helmsley family owned a stake in the building, and, because of the tenancy-in-common ownership structure, could block the other owners' attempts to hire Newmark.<ref name="p219153356" /> In 1997, some of the investors sold their 52 percent stake in the building to Newmark, which replaced Helmsley-Spear as the building's managing agent.<ref name="Alexiou p. 270">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=270|ps=.}}</ref> Shortly after Helmsley's death in January 1997, Helmsley's widow, [[Leona Helmsley]], also sold her ownership stake in the building.<ref name="Alexiou p. 270" /><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Feldman |first=Amy |date=January 20, 1997 |title=Leona Closes in on Big Sale |magazine=Crain's New York Business |volume=13 |issue=3 |page=1 |id={{ProQuest|219188351}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=McShane |first=Larry |date=June 19, 1997 |title=Helmsley to Sell Some Properties |pages=5 |work=The Record |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109088012/helmsley-to-sell-some-propertieslarry/ |access-date=September 7, 2022 |archive-date=September 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907134247/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109088012/helmsley-to-sell-some-propertieslarry/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Newmark made significant improvements to the property, including installing new [[Elevator#Electric|electric elevators]], replacing the antiquated cabs, which were the last [[Elevator#Hydraulic elevators|hydraulic elevators]] in New York City.<ref name="Alexiou p. 270" /><ref name="Grant" />

==== Macmillan expansion and conversion proposals ====
The Flatiron Building was popular among service companies in the early 2000s, causing rental rates at surrounding buildings to increase.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Holusha |first=John |date=July 26, 2000 |title=Commercial Real Estate; Upgrading Buildings on Edge of Midtown |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/26/nyregion/commercial-real-estate-upgrading-buildings-on-edge-of-midtown.html |access-date=September 5, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905183916/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/26/nyregion/commercial-real-estate-upgrading-buildings-on-edge-of-midtown.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The rent increases occurred amid the [[gentrification]] of the surrounding area. By then, St. Martin's Press and Springer–Verlag collectively occupied 90 percent of the space; some of the remaining small tenants had moved away because rents at the Flatiron were too expensive.<ref name="nyt-2002-09-30" /> Macmillan's parent company [[Holtzbrinck Publishing Group]] leased additional space in the building in 2004, expanding its presence from 12 to 18 floors. In addition, Holtzbrinck bought an option to lease the two remaining office stories.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Garbarine |first=Rachelle |date=June 30, 2004 |title=Commercial Real Estate: Regional Market – Manhattan; Publisher Expands to Take Most of the Flatiron Building |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/30/business/commercial-real-estate-regional-market-manhattan-publisher-expands-take-most.html |access-date=September 4, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307155252/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/30/business/commercial-real-estate-regional-market-manhattan-publisher-expands-take-most.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The building's owners had contemplated converting the building into apartments, but, after Holtzbrinck leased most of the space, the owners instead decided to restore the building's historical details.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Darragh |first=Tim |date=October 17, 2004 |title=New Owners of Steel Land Bring Savvy, Success |pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109089139/partners/ 3], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109089168/partners/ 4] |work=The Morning Call |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109088200/new-owners-of-steel-land-bring-savvy/ |access-date=September 7, 2022 |archive-date=September 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907134247/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109088200/new-owners-of-steel-land-bring-savvy/ |url-status=live}}</ref> A 15-story vertical advertising banner covered the facade of the building in 2005, during the renovation, but it was removed after protests from many New York City residents.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lueck |first=Thomas J. |date=April 8, 2005 |title=15-Story Ad on Flatiron Building Must Go, The City Says |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/08/nyregion/15story-ad-on-flatiron-building-must-go-the-city-says.html |access-date=June 4, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |url-access=limited |archive-date=June 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604171037/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/08/nyregion/15story-ad-on-flatiron-building-must-go-the-city-says.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

Italian real estate investment firm [[The Sorgente Group]] bought a majority stake in the Flatiron Building in June 2008;<ref>{{cite web |last=Rubinstein |first=Dana |title=Italian Firm Buys Majority Control of Flatiron Building |website=Observer |date=June 10, 2008 |url=https://observer.com/2008/06/italian-firm-buys-majority-control-of-flatiron-building/ |access-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903011201/https://observer.com/2008/06/italian-firm-buys-majority-control-of-flatiron-building/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Israely |first=Jeff |title=An Italian Snags the Flatiron |magazine=Time |date=June 10, 2008 |url=http://content.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1813198,00.html |access-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903011210/http://content.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1813198,00.html |url-status=live}}</ref> it had previously owned less than 20&nbsp;percent of the building.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Karp |first=Jennifer S. Forsyth and Jonathan |date=June 12, 2008 |title=NYC Skyscraper Gauge |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121313496554262199 |access-date=September 7, 2022 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref> The following January, Sorgente announced plans to turn it into a luxury hotel. The value of the Flatiron Building, whose [[zoning]] allowed a hotel conversion, was estimated to be $190 million.<ref>{{cite web |title=Italian real estate investor buys stake in Flatiron building, eyes hotel |website=New York Daily News |date=January 26, 2009 |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/real-estate/italian-real-estate-investor-buys-stake-flatiron-building-eyes-hotel-article-1.425374 |access-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903011210/https://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/real-estate/italian-real-estate-investor-buys-stake-flatiron-building-eyes-hotel-article-1.425374 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Associated Press |title=Italian investor buys majority stake in Flatiron Building |website=silive |date=January 26, 2009 |url=https://www.silive.com/news/2009/01/italian_buys_majority_stake_in.html |access-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903011210/https://www.silive.com/news/2009/01/italian_buys_majority_stake_in.html |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Jeffrey Gural]], chairman of Newmark, sold a stake in the building to the Sorgente Group in November 2009 for $51.8 million, although Gural and several partners still owned part of the building.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gural Sells Stake in Flatiron Building (Updated) |website=Observer |date=November 2, 2009 |url=https://observer.com/2009/11/gural-sells-stake-in-flatiron-building-updated/ |access-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903011210/https://observer.com/2009/11/gural-sells-stake-in-flatiron-building-updated/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Afterward, Sorgente owned a 52 percent stake in the building, while various real estate families owned the remaining stake.<ref name="wsj-2013-06-10">{{Cite news |last1=Athavaley |first1=Anjali |last2=Weiss |first2=Jennifer |date=June 10, 2013 |title=Mainetti Family's Building Blocks in Manhattan |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323949904578535621435119046.html |access-date=September 4, 2022 |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=June 19, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619194215/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323949904578535621435119046.html |url-status=live}}</ref> By 2010, Macmillan occupied all of the building's space, except for the ground floor.<ref name="nyt-2010-05-25">{{Cite news |last=Stapinski |first=Helene |date=May 25, 2010 |title=A Quirky Building That Has Charmed Its Tenants |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/26/realestate/commercial/26flatiron.html |access-date=September 5, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=February 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223121145/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/26/realestate/commercial/26flatiron.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

The hotel conversion plans were hampered by the fact that Macmillan's existing lease did not expire until 2018.<ref name="Arak 2010" /><ref name="nyt-2015-03-31">{{Cite news |last=Marino |first=Vivian |date=March 31, 2015 |title=A Conversation With Veronica Mainetti of the Sorgente Group of America |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/01/realestate/commercial/a-conversation-with-veronica-mainetti-of-the-sorgente-group-of-america.html |access-date=September 3, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903011823/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/01/realestate/commercial/a-conversation-with-veronica-mainetti-of-the-sorgente-group-of-america.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In a 2010 interview, [[Veronica Mainetti]], who led the Sorgente Group's United States division, did not indicate whether Sorgente still planned to convert the building into a hotel.<ref name="Arak 2010">{{cite web |last=Arak |first=Joey |title=Mum's the Word on Flatiron Hotel |website=Curbed NY |date=May 4, 2010 |url=https://ny.curbed.com/2010/5/4/10514954/mums-the-word-on-flatiron-hotel |access-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903011210/https://ny.curbed.com/2010/5/4/10514954/mums-the-word-on-flatiron-hotel |url-status=live}}</ref> Mainetti subsequently said in 2015 that, when Macmillan's lease expired, "There possibly is going to be an upgrade and the building could make also a good potential hotel conversion, which we're not completely taking off the table."<ref name="nyt-2015-03-31" /> Due to high demand for office space, the building's value increased 30 percent from 2009 to 2013, when it was worth between $250 million and $300 million.<ref name="wsj-2013-06-10" /> In July 2017, Macmillan announced it was consolidating its New York offices to the [[Equitable Building (Manhattan)|Equitable Building]] at 120 Broadway.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Schram |first1=Lauren Elkies |date=July 31, 2017 |title=Macmillan Publishers Lease 261K SF at Silverstein Properties' 120 Bway |language=en |newspaper=[[Commercial Observer]] |url=https://commercialobserver.com/2017/07/macmillan-publishers-lease-silverstein-properties-120-broadway/ |access-date=May 26, 2019 |archive-date=May 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526074319/https://commercialobserver.com/2017/07/macmillan-publishers-lease-silverstein-properties-120-broadway/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Knotel, an operator of [[coworking]] spaces, subsequently announced in January 2019 that it wanted to lease all of the building's office space.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Evans |first1=Judith |last2=Joshua |first2=Chaffin |date=January 23, 2019 |title=Knotel Poised to Lease Flatiron Building for Shared-Office Sector |url=https://www.ft.com/content/e0ec953c-1ef7-11e9-b126-46fc3ad87c65 |access-date=September 5, 2022 |website=Financial Times |archive-date=September 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905202318/https://www.ft.com/content/e0ec953c-1ef7-11e9-b126-46fc3ad87c65 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rebong |first=Kevin |date=January 24, 2019 |title=Knotel on the Verge of Deal to Lease the Entire Flatiron Building |url=https://therealdeal.com/2019/01/24/knotel-on-the-verge-of-deal-to-lease-the-entire-flatiron-building/ |access-date=September 5, 2022 |website=The Real Deal New York |language=en-US |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903015748/https://therealdeal.com/2019/01/24/knotel-on-the-verge-of-deal-to-lease-the-entire-flatiron-building/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The Knotel agreement was never finalized.<ref name="Monahan 2023" />

====2010s and 2020s renovation====
By June 2019, Macmillan had left the building, and all 21 office floors were vacant.<ref name="era" /> GFP Real Estate announced that it would upgrade the building's interior, since the structure would be almost completely vacant,<ref name="era" /><ref name=":0" /> except for a [[T-Mobile US|T-Mobile]] store at the base.<ref name="Cheng 2023 r428">{{cite web |last=Cheng |first=Andria |date=May 22, 2023 |title=What's Actually Inside Manhattan's Famed Flatiron Building? The Answer May Surprise You. |url=https://www.costar.com/article/2017233467/whats-actually-inside-manhattans-famed-flatiron-building-the-answer-may-surprise-you |access-date=March 16, 2024 |website=CoStar}}</ref> GFP planned to install a central air and heating system, strip away all interior partitions, put in a new sprinkler system and a second staircase, upgrade the elevators, and renovate the lobby for $60–80 million. The project was estimated to take a year.<ref name="era" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://commercialobserver.com/2019/06/flatiron-renovation-gfp/ |title=Flatiron Building Empties Out as Owners Embark on Gut Renovation |last=Grossman |first=Matt |date=June 14, 2019 |newspaper=Commercial Observer |language=en-US |access-date=February 2, 2020 |archive-date=February 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200202175429/https://commercialobserver.com/2019/06/flatiron-renovation-gfp/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The owners were interested in renting the entire building to a single tenant, hiring a high-profile real estate agency to find a suitable tenant.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rebong |first=Kevin |date=June 28, 2019 |title=Flatiron Building Hopes Renovations Will Help It Land New Tenant |url=https://therealdeal.com/2019/06/28/the-flatiron-building-is-getting-an-80m-upgrade/ |access-date=September 3, 2022 |website=The Real Deal New York |language=en-US |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903011201/https://therealdeal.com/2019/06/28/the-flatiron-building-is-getting-an-80m-upgrade/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="era" /> The executive director of the ownership company said: "The building was born as a commercial property, and we want to keep it as such."<ref name="era" /> The building was empty by November 2020, and the full renovation was expected to last for at least two more years.<ref name="Herzenberg">{{cite news |url=https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2020/11/30/iconic-flatiron-building-undergoing-massive-transformation- |title=Exclusive Look Inside: Iconic Flatiron Building Undergoing Massive Transformation |first1=Michael |last1=Herzenberg |location=New York City |date=November 30, 2020 |publisher=[[Spectrum News]] |work=[[NY1]] |access-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605112935/https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2020/11/30/iconic-flatiron-building-undergoing-massive-transformation- |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Flatiron Building February 2023.jpg|thumb|The Flatiron Building under renovation, seen here in February 2023]]
The full renovation was delayed until 2022 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in New York City]].<ref name="Cheng 2023 r428" /> By 2021, four of the building's five co-owners wished to sell off their combined ownership stakes due to disputes over the renovation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rebong |first=Kevin |date=July 6, 2021 |title=Flatiron Building Owners Seek to Sell Stakes |url=https://therealdeal.com/2021/07/06/majority-of-flatiron-building-owners-pursue-sale-citing-discord-over-renovation/ |access-date=September 3, 2022 |website=The Real Deal New York |language=en-US |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903011201/https://therealdeal.com/2021/07/06/majority-of-flatiron-building-owners-pursue-sale-citing-discord-over-renovation/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Flatiron Building owners move to force sale at historic landmark |website=Real Estate Weekly |date=July 6, 2021 |url=https://rew-online.com/flatiron-building-owners-move-to-force-sale-at-historic-landmark/ |access-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903011213/https://rew-online.com/flatiron-building-owners-move-to-force-sale-at-historic-landmark/ |url-status=live}}</ref> A New York state judge ruled in June 2022 that the four co-owners could buy out the stake of the fifth co-owner, Nathan Royce Silverstein,<ref>{{cite web |first=Rachel |last=Scharf |title=Flatiron Building Owners Win Forced Sale Of Minority Stake |website=Law360 |date=June 15, 2022 |url=https://www.law360.com/articles/1502856/flatiron-building-owners-win-forced-sale-of-minority-stake |access-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903011205/https://www.law360.com/articles/1502856/flatiron-building-owners-win-forced-sale-of-minority-stake |url-status=live}}</ref> who owned a 25&nbsp;percent stake in the building and was in disagreement with the other co-owners.<ref name="Monahan 2023">{{cite web |last=Monahan |first=Shea |title=Auction Set for Historic Flatiron Building |website=The Real Deal |date=March 2, 2023 |url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2023/03/02/auction-set-for-historic-flatiron-building/ |access-date=March 12, 2023}}</ref> According to Jeffrey Gural, Silverstein had first wanted to find a new tenant without renovating the building. Silverstein then suggested dividing the Flatiron Building into five physically separate properties, which according to Gural was infeasible for several reasons, including the fact that it was landmarked.<ref name="Monahan 2023" /> Silverstein, by contrast, claimed that the building's renovation costs were being inflated.<ref name="Monahan 2023" />

===Sale and residential conversion===

==== First auction ====
In March 2023, a [[New York Supreme Court]] judge ordered that the Flatiron Building be auctioned after the co-owners could not settle their differences regarding the building's renovation.<ref name="Monahan 2023" /><ref name="Hallum 2023" /> An opening bid of $40,000 was announced,<ref name="Hallum 2023">{{cite web |last=Hallum |first=Mark |title=Flatiron Building Heads to Auction After Feud Between Owners |website=Commercial Observer |date=March 2, 2023 |url=https://commercialobserver.com/2023/03/flatiron-building-auction-175-fifth-avenue/ |access-date=March 12, 2023}}</ref> and no other restrictions were placed on bidders at the auction, which took place on March 22, 2023.<ref name="Larsen 202303" /><ref name="Rivoli 2023" /> GFP Real Estate, Newmark, and ABS Real Estate, which collectively owned 75% of the building, reportedly wished to hold onto it.<ref>{{cite web |last=Fernandez |first=Celia |title=NYC's Flatiron building is going up for sale in a public auction—anyone can win: Here's what to know |website=[[CNBC]] |date=March 10, 2023 |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/10/flatiron-building-up-for-sale-in-public-auction.html |access-date=March 23, 2023}}</ref> The building was ultimately sold for $190 million to 31-year-old Jacob Garlick,<ref name="Larsen 202303">{{cite web |last=Larsen |first=Keith |title=Abraham Trust Wins Flatiron Building Auction With $190M Bid |website=The Real Deal |date=March 22, 2023 |url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2023/03/22/jacob-garlick-wins-flatiron-building-auction-after-bidding-war-with-jeff-gural/ |access-date=March 23, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Rivoli 2023">{{cite web |last=Rivoli |first=Dan |title=Historic Flatiron Building sells for $190 million at auction |website=[[NY1|Spectrum News NY1]] |date=March 22, 2023 |url=https://www.ny1.com/nyc/manhattan/news/2023/03/22/historic-flatiron-building-sells-for--190-million-at-auction |access-date=March 23, 2023}}</ref> who owned a venture-capital firm, Abraham Trust, for which there was no contact information available.<ref name="kilgannon" /> Garlick said afterward that owning the Flatiron Building had been a lifelong dream since he was a teenager<ref name="Rivoli 2023" /><ref name="backin" />

For the sale to be finalized, Garlick had to make a 10&nbsp;percent down payment of $19 million by the close of day on March 24, but he failed to do so.<ref name="kilgannon">{{Cite news |last=Kilgannon |first=Corey |date=March 29, 2023 |title=He Bid $190 Million for the Flatiron Building, Then Didn't Pay Up |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/29/nyregion/flatiron-building-buyer.html |access-date=March 30, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Jeffrey Gural, who came in second in the bidding, said that immediately after the auction on the steps of the [[New York County Courthouse]], Garlick asked him if he wanted to partner in the building, later offering a 10% stake in return for putting up the $19 million down payment.<ref name="backin">{{cite web |last=Larsen |first=Keith |title=Jacob Garlick Wants Back in on Flatiron Building Deal |website=[[The Real Deal (magazine)|The Real Deal]] |date=April 14, 2023 |url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2023/04/14/jacob-garlick-wants-back-in-on-flatiron-building/ |access-date=April 24, 2023}}</ref> After Garlick missed the deadline for the down payment, the building was offered to Gural at $189.5 million, $500,000 less than Garlick's bid;<ref>{{cite web |last=Rivoli |first=Dan |title=Flatiron winner fails to make down payment, muddying ownership of building |website=[[NY1|Spectrum News NY1]] |date=March 27, 2023 |url=https://www.ny1.com/nyc/manhattan/news/2023/03/27/flatiron-building-auction-winner-fails-to-make-down-payment |access-date=March 29, 2023|postscript=none}}; {{cite web |last=Hourie |first=Ilya |title=Jacob Garlick Fails To Fund Deposit for Flatiron Building Buy |website=[[The Real Deal (magazine)|The Real Deal]] |date=March 24, 2023 |url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2023/03/24/garlick-fails-to-cough-up-deposit-for-flatiron-building/ |access-date=March 29, 2023}}</ref> three existing owners declined their option to buy the building for that amount.<ref>{{cite web |first=Eddie |last=Small |title=Flatiron runners-up decline option to buy famed building for $189.5M |website=[[Crain's New York Business]] |date=April 3, 2023 |url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/real-estate/flatiron-building-runners-decline-option-buy-famed-property-189-5m |access-date=April 24, 2023}}</ref> A bankruptcy expert noted that bidders at the auction were not required to provide a deposit before bidding, which they said was "highly unorthodox" at such events.<ref>{{cite web |last=Larsen |first=Keith |title=How did Jacob Garlick bid $190M for the Flatiron Building without a deposit? |website=[[The Real Deal (magazine)|The Real Deal]] |date=March 30, 2023 |url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2023/03/30/the-flatiron-fiasco-how-a-key-blunder-left-a-new-york-icon-in-limbo/ |access-date=April 24, 2023}}</ref> Because the runner-up passed on the option to buy the building, a new auction was required, though Garlick was still responsible for the missed $19 million down payment.<ref>{{cite web |last=Quinlan |first=Adriane |title=Yet Another Chance to Buy the Flatiron Building |website=[[Curbed]] |date=April 4, 2023 |url=https://www.curbed.com/2023/04/flatiron-building-goes-up-for-auction-again-after-failure.html |access-date=April 24, 2023}}</ref>

Real-estate publications noted that Garlick was a "distant relative" of current co-owner Nathan Silverstein and that his bid may have been intended to increase the purchase price so that Silverstein would receive a larger payout, though ''[[The Real Deal (magazine)|The Real Deal]]'' found no evidence of collusion.  Garlick still maintained that he wanted to buy the building, and both the auctioneer and the court-appointed referee denied any awareness of Garlick's intent;<ref name="backin" /> the referee said that Garlick had [[Default (finance)|defaulted]] and could no longer purchase the building.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.globest.com/2023/04/26/flatiron-building-auction-referee-to-jacob-garlick-times-up/ | last=Rogers | first=Jack | title=Flatiron Building Auction Referee to Jacob Garlick: Time's Up | work=GlobeSt | date=April 26, 2023}}</ref> On May 5, the majority owners, led by Gural, sued Garlick and Abraham Trust, claiming that his bid was fraudulent.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dilakian |first1=Steven |last2=Larsen |first2=Keith |date=May 5, 2023 |title=Flatiron Building Owners Sue Auction Winner Jacob Garlick |url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2023/05/05/flatiron-building-owners-sue-jacob-garlick-over-auction-debacle/ |access-date=March 16, 2024 |website=The Real Deal}}</ref> Also in May 2023, city officials considered using the building as shelter space amid the [[New York City migrant housing crisis]], but Gural rejected the request.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rubinstein |first=Dana |date=May 8, 2023 |title=Racetracks, Parks, Offices: A Frantic Search for Migrant Housing |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/08/nyregion/migrants-shelter-flatiron-nyc.html |access-date=March 15, 2024 |website=The New York Times}}</ref>

==== Second auction and renovation ====
A second auction was scheduled for May 23, 2023, after Gural and his partners declined to exercise their option;<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.globest.com/2023/04/24/stage-set-for-may-23-redo-of-flatiron-building-auction/ |last=Rogers |first=Jack | title=Stage Set for May 23 Redo of Flatiron Building Auction | work=GlobeSt | date=April 24, 2023|postscript=none}}; {{cite news |url=https://commercialobserver.com/2023/04/flatiron-building-auction-date-may-23/  |title=Flatiron Building Auction Date Set for May 23 After Botched Sale |last=Hallum |first=Mark |website=[[Commercial Observer]] |date=April 20, 2023}}</ref> prospective bidders reportedly needed a check for $100,000 to participate.<ref>{{cite web |title=Flatiron Building Back Up for Auction After $190M Bidding Bungle |website=NBC New York |date=May 13, 2023 |url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/flatiron-building-back-up-for-auction-after-190m-bidding-bungle/4331176/ |access-date=March 15, 2024}}</ref> In the second auction on May 23, the majority ownership group, composed of Gural, Newmark, Sorgente Group, and ABS Partners,<ref name="Hallum 202305">{{cite web |last=Hallum |first=Mark |title=Gural Finally Secures Flatiron Building for $161.5M in Redo Auction |website=Commercial Observer |date=May 23, 2023 |url=https://commercialobserver.com/2023/05/gural-finally-secures-flatiron-building-for-161-5m-in-redo-auction/ |access-date=May 29, 2023}}</ref> purchased full control of the building with a winning bid of $161 million.<ref name="Spectrum News NY1 New York City 2023">{{cite web |date=May 24, 2023 |title=Flatiron Building Sells at Auction for $161 Million |url=https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2023/05/24/flatiron-building-sells-at-auction-for--161-million |access-date=May 26, 2023 |website=Spectrum News NY1 New York City}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Hughes |first=C. J. |date=May 23, 2023 |title=Flatiron Building Sells for $161 Million to Some of Its Current Owners, Ending a Strange Saga |url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/commercial-real-estate/flatiron-building-sells-161-million |access-date=May 26, 2023 |website=Crain's New York Business}}</ref>  Garlick did not submit a bid.<ref>{{cite web |last=Larsen |first=Keith |title=Gural Wins Auction for Flatiron Building on Second Try |website=The Real Deal |date=May 23, 2023 |url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2023/05/23/gurals-group-wins-auction-for-flatiron-building/ |access-date=October 26, 2023}}</ref> Gural and his partners announced plans to convert all or part of the building to residences; they needed a permit from the city to proceed with the conversion.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kvetenadze |first=Téa |title=Flatiron Building set for apartment conversion after $161M auction sale |website=[[New York Daily News]] |date=May 23, 2023 |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-flatiron-auction-residential-conversion-20230523-rwxmauadfnaiznyzbwh7wwdwsu-story.html |access-date=May 26, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Spectrum News NY1 New York City 2023" /> [[Daniel Brodsky]]'s Brodsky Organization bought a controlling stake in the building in October 2023 and announced that, in partnership with GFP and Sorgente, he would convert the structure to residential [[condominium]]s.<ref name="Bockmann 2023 m791">{{cite web |last=Bockmann |first=Rich |title=Brodsky to convert Flatiron Building to condos |website=The Real Deal |date=October 26, 2023 |url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2023/10/26/brodsky-to-convert-flatiron-building-to-condos/ |access-date=October 26, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Haag |first=Matthew |date=October 26, 2023 |title=The Flatiron Building Will Be Converted Into Condos |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/26/nyregion/flatiron-building-condos.html |access-date=October 26, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> 

In August 2024, the building's developers filed plans to convert the stories above the ground floor into 38 condos, to be completed in 2026.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |last=Nehring |first=Abigail |date=August 26, 2024 |title=Flatiron Building to be Converted to 60 Luxury Condos |url=https://commercialobserver.com/2024/08/flatiron-building-residential-conversion-luxury-condos/ |access-date=August 29, 2024 |website=Commercial Observer |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |date=August 28, 2024 |title=Brodsky eyes 60 units in Flatiron Building conversion |url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2024/08/28/brodskys-flatiron-building-conversion-comes-into-focus/ |access-date=August 29, 2024 |website=The Real Deal |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |last=Quinlan |first=Adriane |date=August 27, 2024 |title=The Flatiron Will Go Condo |url=https://www.curbed.com/article/flatiron-residential-conversion-60-luxury-condos-2026-plans.html |access-date=August 29, 2024 |website=Curbed}}</ref> The next month, Brodsky applied for a [[zoning]] variance from the city government, which would allow the entire building to be converted to residences; the existing zoning allowed no more than half of the building to be used for residential purposes.<ref>{{cite web |last=Brenzel |first=Kathryn |date=September 24, 2024 |title=The Daily Dirt: Brodsky seeks waiver for Flatiron conversion |url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2024/09/24/brodsky-pushes-for-waiver-to-convert-flatiron-building/ |access-date=September 25, 2024 |website=The Real Deal}}</ref> That October, Brodsky and his partners received a $357 million loan for the building's renovation from Tyko Capital.<ref name="Coen j735">{{cite web |last=Coen |first=Andrew |date=October 22, 2024 |title=Tyko Capital Lends $357M on Flatiron Building Condo Conversion |url=https://commercialobserver.com/2024/10/tyko-capital-357m-flatiron-building-condo-conversion/ |access-date=October 23, 2024 |website=Commercial Observer |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |last=Bockmann |first=Rich |date=October 21, 2024 |title=Brodsky lands $357M construction loan for Flatiron Building conversion |url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2024/10/21/brodsky-organization-gets-flatiron-building-construction-loan/ |access-date=October 23, 2024 |website=The Real Deal}}</ref> [[Studio Sofield]] was hired to design the interiors.<ref name=":2" /><ref name="Wall x841">{{cite web |last=Wall |first=Sheridan |date=June 26, 2025 |title=Here's what we know about the Flatiron Building conversion |url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2025/06/26/flatiron-building-conversion-takes-shape/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250807005352/https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2025/06/26/flatiron-building-conversion-takes-shape/ |archive-date=August 7, 2025 |access-date=August 7, 2025 |website=The Real Deal}}</ref> In August 2025, the [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] (LPC) approved plans to illuminate the building's facade at night, making it the first time the building had permanent nighttime lighting.<ref name=":2">{{cite web | last=Ginsburg | first=Aaron | title=Flatiron Building will be illuminated at night for the first time as part of condo conversion | website=6sqft | date=2025-08-06 | url=https://www.6sqft.com/flatiron-building-will-be-illuminated-at-night-for-the-first-time-as-part-of-condo-conversion/ | access-date=2025-08-06|postscript=none}}; {{cite web | last=Ratliff | first=Laura | title=The iconic Flatiron Building will light up for the first time | website=Time Out New York | date=2025-08-06 | url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/the-iconic-flatiron-building-will-light-up-for-the-first-time-in-123-years-080625 | access-date=2025-08-06}}</ref> The next month, the [[New York Attorney General]]'s office approved a condominium offering plan for the building, which called for apartments costing $10.95 million and $50 million each.<ref name="Gannon 2025">{{cite web | last=Gannon | first=Devin | title=Flatiron Building condos will have enormous great rooms, unique layouts, and prices from $10.95M | website=6sqft | date=October 2, 2025 | url=https://www.6sqft.com/flatiron-building-condos-will-have-enormous-great-rooms-unique-layouts/ | access-date=October 3, 2025}}</ref><ref name="Wall 2025">{{cite web | last=Wall | first=Sheridan | title=Flatiron Building developers unveil pricing for 18 units of the conversion | website=The Real Deal | date=October 2, 2025 | url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2025/10/02/developers-behind-flatiron-building-conversion-unveil-pricing/ | access-date=October 3, 2025}}</ref>

==Architecture==
The Flatiron Building was designed by Chicago architect [[Daniel Burnham]] as a vertical [[Renaissance Revival architecture|Renaissance]] [[palazzo]] with [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts]] styling.<ref name="aia" /><ref>Gillon, Edmund Vincent (photographs) and Reed, Henry Hope (text). [https://books.google.com/books?id=m2p_5vOZVOcC&pg=PA26 ''Beaux-Arts Architecture in New York: A Photographic Guide''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230104140/https://books.google.com/books?id=m2p_5vOZVOcC&pg=PA26 |date=December 30, 2019}} New York: Dover, 1988. p. 26</ref><ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |date=September 20, 1966 |title=Flatiron Building |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0219.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222061411/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0219.pdf |archive-date=December 22, 2019 |access-date=February 2, 2020 |website= |publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]]}}</ref> Unlike New York's early skyscrapers, which took the form of towers arising from a lower, blockier mass, such as the contemporary [[Singer Building]] (completed in 1908),{{efn|The contrast is noted by {{harvnb|Zukowsky|Saliga|1984|p=70ff}}}} the Flatiron Building was designed in the style of the [[Chicago school (architecture)|Chicago school]].<ref name="LC p. 301" /> The palazzo-style design was intended to reassure passersby by giving an appearance of strength.<ref name="TL p. 54" /> Filling its entire land lot, the building was constructed as a slab without any [[Setback (architecture)|setbacks]].<ref name="Stern (1983) p. 164">{{harvnb|Stern|Gilmartin|Massengale|1983|ps=.|p=164}}</ref> Originally, the structure was {{convert|285|or|286|ft|1}} tall,<ref name="Alexiou p. 73" /><ref name="ER p. 296">{{harvnb|Engineering Record|1902|ps=.|p=296}}</ref> with 20 stories and an attic.<ref name="nyt-1905-03-23" /> After an expansion in 1905, the building stood {{convert|307|ft}} tall,<ref name="LC p. 301" /><ref name="p571209603" /><ref name="nyt-2002-09-30" /> with 22 stories;<ref name="nycland" /><ref name="nyt-1905-03-23" /> if the attic is excluded, the expanded building only contains 21 stories.<ref name="LC p. 301" /><ref name="NYCL p. 296">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989|ps=.|p=296}}</ref><ref name="ER p. 296" /> Some sources mistakenly{{efn|According to the fifth edition of the ''[[AIA Guide to New York City]]'', the belief that the Flatiron Building was one of the first building or skyscraper in New York with a steel skeleton is untrue.<ref name="aia" /> Taller steel-framed skyscrapers existed at the time of the Flatiron Building's completion, such as the {{convert|391|ft|m|-tall|adj=mid}} [[Park Row Building]], completed in 1899.<ref name="aia" /><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Landau|Condit|1996|p=252}}</ref> Other buildings, including the [[New York Tribune Building]] of 1874, have also been described as the city's first skyscraper.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Porterfield |first=Byron |date=May 20, 1966 |title='Newspaper Row' Shrinking Again; The Old Tribune Building on Nassau Is Giving Way to Pace College Center |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/05/20/archives/newspaper-row-shrinking-again-the-old-tribune-building-on-nassau-is.html |access-date=September 6, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200323222844/https://www.nytimes.com/1966/05/20/archives/newspaper-row-shrinking-again-the-old-tribune-building-on-nassau-is.html |url-status=live}}</ref>}} describe the building as one of the world's first skyscrapers or [[steel-framed]] buildings.<ref name="The Skyscraper Museum">{{cite web |title=Flatiron Building |url=https://old.skyscraper.org/EXHIBITIONS/FAVORITES/fav_flatiron.htm |access-date=June 5, 2021 |website=The Skyscraper Museum |archive-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605155733/https://old.skyscraper.org/EXHIBITIONS/FAVORITES/fav_flatiron.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

Though Burnham maintained overall control of the design process, he was not directly connected with the details of the structure as built. That task was performed by his designer [[Frederick P. Dinkelberg]], a Pennsylvania-born architect in Burnham's office.<ref name="Alexiou pp. 47-48">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|pp=47–48|ps=.}}</ref><ref name="LC p. 303" /><ref name="Zukowsky" /> The men had worked together since the 1893 [[World's Columbian Exposition]] in Chicago.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=48|ps=.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=February 11, 1935 |title=F. P. Dinkelberg, 73, Architect, Is Dead; Designer of Flatiron and Other Skyscrapers Made Fortune but Lost Everything |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/02/11/archives/f-p-dinkelberg-73-arohitect-is-df-designer-of-flatiron-and-other.html |access-date=September 6, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907134247/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/02/11/archives/f-p-dinkelberg-73-arohitect-is-df-designer-of-flatiron-and-other.html |url-status=live}}</ref> It is unknown where the working drawings for the Flatiron Building are stored, though renderings were published at the time of construction in ''[[The American Architect]]'' and ''[[Architectural Record]]''.<ref name="Zukowsky">{{harvnb|Zukowsky|Saliga|1984|p=73}}; a perspective drawing by [[Jules Guérin]] (not a member of Burnham's office) for ''Century Magazine'' (''[[The New York Times]]'', August 1902), now at the [[Art Institute of Chicago]], occasioned the article in ''Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies''.</ref>

=== Facade ===
Similar to the parts of a classical [[Classical order|Greek column]], the Flatiron Building's facade is divided into a base, shaft, and [[Capital (architecture)|capital]].<ref name="NYCL pp. 297-298">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989|ps=.|pp=297–298}}</ref><ref name="NPS p. 2">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1989|ps=.|p=2}}</ref><ref name="LC pp. 303-304">{{harvnb|Landau|Condit|1996|ps=.|pp=303–304}}</ref> The Fifth Avenue and Broadway [[Elevation (architecture)|elevations]] of the facade are both eighteen [[Bay (architecture)|bays]] wide, while the 22nd Street elevation is eight bays wide; the bays are arranged in pairs.<ref name="NYCL pp. 297-299">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989|ps=.|pp=297–299}}</ref> The southwest and southeast corners are curved, with one rounded window on each story above the base.<ref name="NYCL p. 299">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989|ps=.|p=299}}</ref> In addition, each story of the curved prow on 23rd Street contains three sash windows; the central window is wider than the other two.<ref name="NYCL p. 298">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989|ps=.|p=298}}</ref> Many of the Flatiron Building's tenants referred to the prow as "the Point".<ref name="nyt-2002-09-30" />

The facade of the three-story base{{efn|The [[National Park Service]] describes the base as being five stories high. This is in part because the NPS describes the ground level as a double-height story. In addition, the transitional fourth story (which the NPS characterizes as the fifth story) is included in the characterization of the base.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> Another conflicting figure is given by {{harvnb|ps=|Alexiou|2010|p=74}}, which cites the base as rising four stories.<ref name="Alexiou p. 74" />}} is made of [[limestone]].<ref name="aia" /><ref name="Alexiou p. 74" /><ref name="NYCL p. 297">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989|ps=.|p=297}}</ref> Each of the openings at the base is two bays wide.<ref name="NYCL pp. 297-299" /> There are entrances on either end of the 22nd Street elevation, as well as at the centers of the Fifth Avenue and Broadway elevations.<ref name="ER p. 296" /><ref name="NYCL pp. 297-299" /> Above the base, the facade is made of [[Glazed architectural terra-cotta|glazed terracotta]] from the [[Atlantic Terra Cotta Company]] in [[Tottenville, Staten Island]].<ref name="aia" /><ref name="LC p. 434">{{harvnb|Landau|Condit|1996|ps=.|p=434}}</ref><ref name="Alexiou p. 74">{{harvnb|ps=.|Alexiou|2010|p=74}}</ref> The building also contains decorative details such as cornices, moldings, and [[oriel window]]s.<ref name="ER p. 296" /><ref name="LC p. 304" /> These materials were intended to give the impression of "general unity in treatment", while also giving the facade a textured appearance.<ref name="LC p. 304" /> Early sketches by Daniel Burnham show an unexecuted clock face and a far more elaborate crown than was ultimately built.<ref name="Zukowsky" />

==== Base ====
At ground level, the entrances on Fifth Avenue and Broadway are each flanked by four storefront windows to the north and south.<ref name="NYCL pp. 297-298" /> The storefront windows are separated from each other by vertical [[Pier (architecture)|piers]] with horizontal bands of smooth-faced and [[Vermiculation|vermiculated]] limestone.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="NYCL p. 297" /> There are revolving doors at the southwestern and southeastern corners of the building.<ref name="NYCL p. 299" /> The entrances on Fifth Avenue and Broadway are flanked by a pair of [[engaged column]]s, which are vertically [[Fluted column|fluted]] and are overlaid by smooth and vermiculated bands of limestone. The columns support an [[entablature]] decorated with alternating [[roundel]]s and [[triglyph]]s; immediately above the entablature, on the second story, are [[oculus (architecture)|oculus]] windows with [[console bracket]]s on either side.<ref name="NYCL pp. 297-298" /> The entablatures above both entrances are connected by a projecting cornice that wraps around the ground floor.<ref name="NYCL p. 297" /> On the second and third stories, each opening generally contains two [[sash window]]s.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="NYCL pp. 297-298" /> A [[frieze]] with [[dentil]]s runs above the third story.<ref name="Alexiou pp. 99-100">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|pp=99–100|ps=.}}</ref> When the building was converted to residences in the 2020s, a revolving door was installed at the southwest corner, facing Fifth Avenue and 22nd Street, for residents.<ref name="Margolies Etheredge h672">{{cite web |last1=Margolies |first1=Jane |last2=Etheredge |first2=George |date=2025-11-05 |title=The First Look Inside the Flatiron Building Condo Conversion |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/realestate/flatiron-building-condo-conversion.html |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

[[File:Flatiron Art Space.jpg|upright=1.35|left|thumb|The "cowcatcher" retail space in front of the prow]]

{{Anchor|Cowcatcher space}}The prow of the building, facing 23rd Street, includes a pair of two-story-high Classical columns.<ref name="Alexiou p. 102" /><ref name="NYCL p. 298" /> These were echoed at the top of the building by two columns that supported the cornice.<ref name="Alexiou p. 102" /> The single-story "cowcatcher" retail space in front of the prow, added to the plans in 1902, was not part of Burnham or Dinkelberg's design.<ref name="Alexiou p. 102" /><ref name="LC p. 302">{{harvnb|Landau|Condit|1996|ps=.|p=302}}</ref> The "cowcatcher" structure measured {{convert|25|ft}} long and {{convert|13|ft}} tall, with a metal roof.<ref name="Alexiou p. 102" /> Burnham initially did not want to add the "cowcatcher" space, since he believed it would ruin the symmetry of the prow's design, but he was forced to accept the addition on Black's insistence.<ref name="Alexiou pp. 102-103">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|pp=102–103|ps=.}}</ref>

==== Upper stories ====
The 4th story is designed as a transitional story, with eight sash windows on 22nd Street, as well as 18 sash windows each on Broadway and Fifth Avenue. The windows are flanked by alternating wide and narrow piers, each of which contains terracotta panels with decorations such as foliate motifs, masks, lozenges, and wreaths. Above the 4th story is a frieze with roundels, as well as a cornice.<ref name="NYCL p. 298" />

The 12-story midsection spans the 5th through 16th stories.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="NYCL p. 298" /> The 5th and 6th stories each contain sash windows similar to those on the 4th story, but the terracotta piers between each bay are decorated in a simpler design. A frieze with a [[Meander (art)|meander]] pattern wraps around the building above the 6th story.<ref name="NYCL p. 298" /> The Broadway and Fifth Avenue facades both contain three projecting trapezoidal oriels{{efn|On either facade, the central oriel replaces the center pair of bays, while the other two oriels replace the second-outermost pair of bays.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="NYCL p. 298" />}} on the 7th through 14th stories; each oriel contains three windows per story.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="NYCL p. 298" /> At the time of the Flatiron Building's construction, relatively few skyscrapers in New York City used oriels,<ref name="LC pp. 303-304" /> but they were commonly used in Chicago to break up winds.<ref name="LC pp. 303-304" /><ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=51|ps=.}}</ref> The 15th story contains sash windows separated by rusticated brick piers. The 16th story contains arched windows; the [[voussoir]]s above these windows support a cornice that runs above that story.<ref name="NYCL p. 298" /> The 17th story is also designed as a transitional story, with alternating wide and narrow piers decorated with roundels and lions' heads. Another projecting cornice runs above the 17th story.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="NYCL p. 298" />

[[File:Flatiron Building.JPG|thumb|upright=1.0|Close-up of the apex]]

The capital consists of the top four stories. The 18th and 19th stories contain an arcade of double-height, double-width arches.<ref name="NYCL p. 298" /><ref name="NPS pp. 2-5">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1989|ps=.|pp=2, 5}}</ref> Each archway contains a metal frame with multiple glass panes. There are metal [[spandrel]] panels between the windows on the 18th and 19th stories. The arches themselves are separated vertically by ornate terracotta piers, topped by [[Capital (architecture)|capitals]] with masks and wreaths.<ref name="NYCL p. 298" /> The 20th story contains small square windows, above which is a deep cornice with [[dentil]]s and [[Bracket (architecture)|brackets]];<ref name="NYCL p. 298" /><ref name="NPS pp. 2-5" /> the cornice projects about {{Convert|5.5|ft}} beyond the building's perimeter.<ref name="ER p. 300">{{harvnb|Engineering Record|1902|ps=.|p=300}}</ref> There are decorative triglyphs between the 20th-story windows.<ref name="NYCL p. 298" />

The 20th story was originally topped by an attic for mechanical equipment; the 21st-story penthouse was added in a subsequent renovation.<ref name="n108917576" /> The attic still exists and is placed between the 20th and 21st stories.<ref name="n108917576" /><ref name="n1559453449">{{Cite news |date=July 14, 1952 |title=Famous Flatiron Building Observes 50th Birthday |page=10 |work=The Austin Statesman |id={{proQuest|1559453449}}}}</ref> Initially, the penthouse was not surrounded by a railing;<ref name="nyt-1929-03-10" /> a balustrade was subsequently added above the 20th story.<ref name="NYCL p. 298" /><ref name="Alexiou p. 75" /> At the building's apex were originally two terracotta sculptures of [[cherub]]s.<ref name="Alexiou p. 75">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=75|ps=.}}</ref><ref name="n1559453449" /><ref name="nyt-2001-09-02">{{Cite news |last=Wolfe |first=Lauren |date=September 2, 2001 |title=Neighborhood Report: Flatiron; Little Lost Angels Reborn Atop the Flatiron Building |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/02/nyregion/neighborhood-report-flatiron-little-lost-angels-reborn-atop-flatiron-building.html |access-date=September 6, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=February 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211182042/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/02/nyregion/neighborhood-report-flatiron-little-lost-angels-reborn-atop-flatiron-building.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The cherubs symbolized the building's "guardian spirits"<ref name="Alexiou p. 75" /> and held scrolls that surrounded a tablet with George A. Fuller's name.<ref name="n1559453449" /> The statues were removed to an unknown location in the late 1980s, and a set of replacement cherubs were installed in 2001 after preservationists filed a complaint with the LPC.<ref name="nyt-2001-09-02" />

===Structural features===
[[Purdy and Henderson]] were the structural engineers,<ref name="ER p. 296" /><ref name="LC p. 303">{{harvnb|Landau|Condit|1996|ps=.|p=303}}</ref><ref name="p1284471762">{{cite news |date=December 28, 1944 |title=Corydon Purdy Dies; Developed The Skyscraper: Designed Flatiron Building Metropolitan Life Tower 'Times' Building, Other |page=10A |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1284471762}}}}</ref> and Hamilton J. Chapman was the chief consulting engineer for the project.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 26, 1937 |title=Hamilton J. Chapman; Engineer Helped to Construct Grand Central Terminal |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/10/26/archives/hamilton-j-chapman-engineer-helped-to-construct-grand-central.html |access-date=September 6, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907134320/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/10/26/archives/hamilton-j-chapman-engineer-helped-to-construct-grand-central.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The construction of the Flatiron was made feasible by a change to New York City's building codes in 1892, which eliminated the requirement that masonry be used for fireproofing considerations. This opened the way for steel-skeleton construction.<ref name="treasure" /> The steel-frame technique was familiar to the Fuller Company, a contracting firm with considerable expertise in building such tall structures.<ref name="Flatiron Building">[http://dome.mit.edu/handle/1721.3/82968 "Flatiron Building"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704130654/http://dome.mit.edu/handle/1721.3/82968 |date=July 4, 2019}} ''Dome'' the website of the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT Libraries]], citing [http://www.oxfordartonline.com/ Grove Art Online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200624093028/https://www.oxfordartonline.com/ |date=June 24, 2020}}</ref> The Flatiron Building's construction was relatively easy because it used a steel frame; its 22-story height would have been difficult using other construction methods of that time.{{sfn|Terranova|Manferto|2003}} The steel bracing, designed by engineer Corydon Purdy of Purdy and Henderson,<ref name="p1284471762" /><ref name="Alexiou p. 54" /> allowed the Flatiron Building to withstand four times the amount of wind force it could ever be expected to endure.<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=149|ps=.}}</ref> In theory, the frame would remain standing even if the rest of the building were to tip over.<ref name="nyt-2004-08-01" />

The building's frame contains {{convert|3680|ST|LT t}} of steel.<ref name="ER p. 300" /><ref name="Alexiou p. 54">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=54|ps=.}}</ref>  According to architectural writers [[Sarah Bradford Landau]] and [[Carl W. Condit]], as well as the ''[[New-York Tribune]]'' and author Joseph J. Korom, each of the stories above ground level measures {{convert|190|ft}} on Broadway, {{convert|173|ft}} on Fifth Avenue, and {{convert|87|ft}} on 22nd Street.<ref name="p571209603" /><ref>{{harvnb|Landau|Condit|1996|ps=.|pp=301–302}}</ref><ref name="Korom 2013 p. 219" /> ''[[Engineering News-Record|Engineering Record]]'' magazine gives a slightly different measurement of {{convert|171|ft}} on Fifth Avenue and {{convert|86|ft}} on 22nd Street.<ref name="ER p. 296" />{{efn|Since the site is a right triangle, this would give the Broadway frontage a measurement of approximately {{convert|191|ft}}.}} At the vertex, the triangular tower is only {{Convert|6|ft}}<ref name="Korom 2013 p. 219" /><ref name="The Skyscraper Museum" /><ref name="Stern (1983) p. 167">{{harvnb|Stern|Gilmartin|Massengale|1983|ps=.|p=167}}</ref> or 6.5 feet (2&nbsp;m) wide.<ref name="Flatiron Building" /> The Broadway and Fifth Avenue elevations meet at an angle of about 25 degrees.<ref name="Flatiron Building" />

==== Foundation ====
The [[Foundation (engineering)|foundation]] of the building extends {{convert|35|ft}} deep and was excavated to the underlying layer of [[bedrock]]. It is surrounded by trapezoidal, waterproof retaining walls, which measure between {{convert|2|and|6|ft}} thick.<ref name="ER p. 298">{{harvnb|Engineering Record|1902|ps=.|p=298}}</ref> The underlying bedrock ranges from {{convert|30|to|37|ft}} below ground, very close to the bottom of the building's foundation.<ref name="LC p. 303" /> The foundation itself consists of concrete footings with granite caps, above which rise the building's steel columns.<ref name="LC p. 303" /><ref name="Alexiou pp. 88-89" /> The cast-iron bases measure {{convert|4|to|6|ft}} square and are placed on slightly wider granite capstones, which measure {{convert|2|ft}} thick. The concrete footings, placed directly on the bedrock, also have a square cross-section, measuring {{convert|8|to|9.5|ft}} on each side.<ref>{{harvnb|Engineering Record|1902|ps=.|pp=297–298}}</ref>

The basement extends beyond the building's lot line, occupying vaults underneath the sidewalk and roadways.<ref name="p571180508" /><ref name="ER p. 298" /><ref name="Alexiou p. 89">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=89|ps=.}}</ref> The vaults have a total area of {{Convert|8595|ft2}}.<ref name="p571180508" /> Measured from the centers of the columns at the site's perimeter, the vaults extend about {{Convert|26|ft}} to the west, {{Convert|22|ft}} to the east, and {{Convert|50|ft}} to the north. These spaces are surrounded by the retaining walls.<ref name="ER p. 298" /> The ceiling of the vaults is supported by 18 steel columns outside the building's lot line.<ref name="ER p. 296" /> The steel columns are recessed behind the retaining wall and are connected to the retaining wall by horizontal girders, which support the sidewalks above.<ref name="ER p. 298" />

==== Superstructure ====
[[File:Typical floor of the Flatiron Building.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|alt=A floor plan of a typical floor within the Flatiron Building, published in 1903|Typical floor of the Flatiron Building in 1903]]
The [[superstructure]] is primarily supported by 36 built-up steel columns.<ref name="ER p. 296" /><ref name="LC p. 434" /><ref name="Alexiou pp. 88-89">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|pp=88–89|ps=.}}</ref> Each column is an [[I-beam]] measuring {{convert|14|by|14|in}} across and {{convert|1|in}} thick;<ref name="Alexiou p. 89" /> they have a maximum [[Stress (mechanics)|working stress]] of {{convert|12500|psi|kPa}}.<ref name="LC p. 434" /> Twenty-five of these columns are placed on the building's perimeter: five on 22nd Street and ten each on Fifth Avenue and Broadway. The perimeter columns are spaced {{cvt|17|ft}} apart on Fifth Avenue, {{cvt|18.5|ft}} apart on Broadway, and {{cvt|16|ft}} apart on 22nd Street. Five of the interior columns are recessed {{cvt|14|ft}} from the Fifth Avenue facade, and there are several interior columns at the south end of the building.<ref name="ER p. 296" /> At each story, the columns are connected horizontally by a grid of steel girders and floor beams, which mostly run parallel to the Manhattan street grid.<ref name="ER p. 299">{{harvnb|Engineering Record|1902|ps=.|p=299}}</ref> The spaces between the horizontal girders are spanned by [[flat arch]]es made of terracotta. All of the floor beams could carry a [[live load]] of {{convert|75|psf}}.<ref name="ER p. 297">{{harvnb|Engineering Record|1902|ps=.|p=297}}</ref> Each column is connected to the horizontal beams by triangular [[gusset plate]]s, placed both above and below the beams.<ref name="LC p. 303" /><ref name="ER pp. 296-297">{{harvnb|Engineering Record|1902|ps=.|pp=296–297}}</ref>

From the 1st to the 12th stories, the outer walls are carried on [[plate girder]]s; the remaining stories contain wall girders, with channels engraved into their surfaces.<ref name="ER p. 296" /> There is also a masonry pier adjacent to each of the columns on the building's perimeter.<ref name="ER p. 299" /> The framework at the first story is similar to that at the basement, except at the corners and above each entrance.<ref name="ER p. 298" /> At ground level, the building's northern prow is cantilevered from a pair of elliptical girders, while the southwest and southeast corners contain diagonal floor beams.<ref>{{harvnb|Engineering Record|1902|ps=.|pp=298–299}}</ref> On the upper stories, the corners contain curved wall girders and diagonal floor beams of varying dimensions. In addition, the oriel windows and some of the facade's decorative details are cantilevered from the outer walls. On the 18th through 20th stories, the columns are recessed from the outer wall.<ref name="ER p. 300" />

Purdy and Henderson designed two systems of [[Wind brace|wind bracing]] for the building.<ref name="ER p. 297" /> One system consists of diagonal steel bars shaped like a rotated "K", which extend downward from the centers of the horizontal girders. The other system of bracing is similar, but the diagonal steel bars extend both upward and downward from the horizontal girders.<ref name="ER p. 297" /><ref name="ER pp. 296-297" /> A supplemental system of transverse bracing is also used between the foundation and the second floor. The flat roof was built similarly to the floor slabs and could carry a live load of {{convert|50|psf}}.<ref name="ER p. 297" />

=== Mechanical features ===
The building had a power plant that generated high-pressure steam and electricity.<ref name="Korom 2013 p. 219" /><ref name="p1269899978" /><ref name="Alexiou p. 123">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=123|ps=.}}</ref> In the 1940s, it was one of a few remaining structures in New York City with its own power plant.<ref name="p1269899978" /> Bathrooms for males and females are placed on alternating floors,<ref name="Korom 2013 p. 219" /> with the men's rooms on even floors and the women's rooms on odd ones.<ref name="nyt-2010-05-25" /> The women's restrooms were not part of the original design.<ref name="nyt-2002-09-30" />

Until the end of the 20th century, the building retained its original hydraulic elevators,<ref>{{Cite news |last=McElheny |first=Victor K. |date=April 15, 1976 |title=Plaza's Old Elevators Wheezing to a Halt |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/04/15/archives/plazas-old-elevators-wheezing-to-a-halt.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331172612/https://www.nytimes.com/1976/04/15/archives/plazas-old-elevators-wheezing-to-a-halt.html |archive-date=March 31, 2021 |access-date=September 6, 2022 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> which were powered by water.<ref name="nyt-2002-09-30" /><ref name="Grant" /> [[Otis Elevator]] manufactured six hydraulic elevators for the building,<ref name="Korom 2013 p. 219" /><ref name="Alexiou p. 123" /> although Hecla Iron Works constructed the original elevator cabs.<ref name="Alexiou p. 108" /> The elevators had a reputation for being slow and, when the elevators' hydraulic pipes burst, water would often leak into the elevator cabs.<ref name="nyt-2002-09-30" /> To reach the top floor—the 21st, which was added in 1905, three years after the building was completed—occupants had to take a second elevator from the 20th floor. On the 21st floor, the bottoms of the windows are chest-high.<ref name="nyt-2010-05-25" /> The hydraulic elevators were replaced with electric cabs in the 1980s, and the original staircase was removed in the 2020s and replaced with two staircases.<ref name="Cheng 2023 r428" />

=== Interior ===
The building had {{convert|241000|ft2}} of usable space.<ref name="Korom 2013 p. 219" /> Contemporary critics considered the structure "quirky", with drafty wood-framed and copper-clad windows, no central air conditioning, a heating system with cast-iron radiators, an antiquated sprinkler system, and a single staircase for evacuation.<ref name="era" /> The offices were furnished with mahogany and oak, which the Fuller Company advertised as "fireproof".<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|pp=123–124|ps=.}}</ref> The triangular shape of the structure led to a "rabbit warren" of oddly-shaped rooms,<ref name="era" /> arranged around a large utility core.<ref name="Margolies Etheredge h672" /> The offices on each floor were connected by a central passageway,<ref name="Alexiou p. 138" /> and each floor contained about 20 office cubicles, all of which were connected by various doors.<ref name="Korom 2013 p. 219" /><ref name="nyt-2004-08-01" /> According to ''The New York Times'', offices in the prow had "impressive" views "because of the converging traffic street markings, which accent the telescoping boulevards, and because of the changing seasons in Madison Square Park".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Horsley |first=Carter B. |date=October 9, 1977 |title=Offices With Views Adapt to Save Fuel and Share the Scenery |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/10/09/archives/offices-with-views-adapt-to-save-fuel-and-share-the-scenery-offices.html |access-date=September 6, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907134247/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/10/09/archives/offices-with-views-adapt-to-save-fuel-and-share-the-scenery-offices.html |url-status=live}}</ref> 

{{As of|2025}}, the offices were being replaced with 38 residential condominiums,<ref name=":1" /> along with 38 units of storage space and three commercial storefronts.<ref name="Gannon 2025" /> The original lobby on the ground floor became a cafe.<ref name="Margolies Etheredge h672" /> The core was reconfigured into a long, narrow massing, allowing two apartments on each floor.<ref name="Margolies Etheredge h672" /> The apartments generally have three to five bedrooms. The four-bedroom penthouse, spanning {{convert|4600|ft2|adj=}}, is planned to have the most outdoor space, with a terrace wrapping around the roof. The largest condominiums, units 20 and 21, are each more than {{Convert|7400|ft2}}.<ref name="Gannon 2025" /><ref name="Wall 2025" /> The building is also planned to have six wine cellars.<ref name="Wall 2025" /> Other amenities, including a fitness room, lounge, storage, and a spa and pool area, are planned to be placed in the basement.<ref name="Gannon 2025" />

==Impact==
[[File:Albert Gleizes Sur le Flat-iron 1916.jpg|thumb|alt=Sur le Flatiron, Albert Gleizes, gouache and ink (1916)|''Sur le Flatiron'', [[Albert Gleizes]], gouache and ink (1916)]]

=== Status as an icon ===
The Flatiron Building became an icon of New York City upon completion, and public response to it was enthusiastic.<ref name="treasure" /><ref name="Rybczynski 1995">{{cite book |author-link=Witold Rybczynski |last=Rybczynski |first=Witold |title=City Life: Urban Expectations in a New World |publisher=Scribner |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-684-81302-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QEVUAAAAMAAJ |page=153 |quote=The public loved the Flatiron, and businessmen and their architects took notice.}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1902-07-062" /> The structure attracted not only "sidewalk superintendents"&nbsp;– members of the general public who expressed great interest in the project&nbsp;– but also architects and engineers.<ref name="Rybczynski 1995" /><ref name="Alexiou pp. 106-107">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|pp=106–107|ps=.}}</ref> Crowds of several hundred people looked at the building "for five and ten minutes at a time", often from multiple vantage points,<ref name="Alexiou p. 106" /><ref name="nyt-1902-07-062" /> while the ''Tribune'' said that crowds would sometimes look at the building "with their heads bent back until a general breakage of necks seems imminent".<ref name="nyt-1991-07-21" /> By the mid-20th century, the building no longer attracted crowds, and most tourists "want[ed] to go up in the Flatiron only to take pictures of other taller buildings".<ref name="n1559453449" /> However, it remained well known, even after taller buildings such as the [[Chrysler Building]] and the [[Empire State Building]] were constructed. According to graphic designer Miriam Berman, the building's enduring popularity was attributed to the fact that it was "the only famous Manhattan skyscraper that enables tourists to take a picture of the entire building from the ground up".<ref name="nyt-2002-09-30" />

According to ''The New York Times'', the Flatiron Building was "considered 'the most photographed structure' in New York" in its early years.<ref name="nyt-1933-07-02" /> In part because of its unusual shape and prominent location next to Madison Square Park, it was depicted in books and postcards worldwide.<ref name="nyt-1933-07-02" /><ref name="n108917576" /> As an icon of New York City, the Flatiron Building was also depicted on other pieces of merchandise, such as plates, mugs, and various [[tchotchke]]s.<ref name="nyt-2002-09-30" /> The building's exterior remains a popular spot for tourist photographs, making it "possibly one of the most photographed buildings in the world."<ref name="treasure" /> The Flatiron's status as an icon also led to a trademark dispute in 1999, when Newmark & Company and venture capital firm [[Flatiron Partners]] (which was headquartered in a different building) both tried to register an image of the building as a trademark. Flatiron Partners, which had wanted to use the building's image as its logo, ultimately licensed the image from Newmark & Company.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=October 24, 1999 |title=Postings: Lawsuits Involved the Flatiron and the New York Stock Exchange; A Building as a Trademark |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/24/realestate/postings-lawsuits-involved-flatiron-new-york-stock-exchange-building-trademark.html |url-status=live |access-date=February 9, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=December 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202210442/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/24/realestate/postings-lawsuits-involved-flatiron-new-york-stock-exchange-building-trademark.html}}</ref> The [[American Institute of Architects]]' 2007 survey ''[[America's Favorite Architecture|List of America's Favorite Architecture]]'' ranked the Flatiron Building among the top 150 buildings in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |website=FavoriteArchitecture.org |publisher=AIA |url=http://favoritearchitecture.org/afa150.php |title=List of America's Favorite Architecture |year=2007 |access-date=September 27, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510113118/http://favoritearchitecture.org/afa150.php |archive-date=May 10, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kugel |first=Seth |date=May 27, 2007 |title=The List: 33 Architectural Favorites in New York |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/travel/27Bweekend.html |access-date=January 20, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230120163218/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/travel/27Bweekend.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] (LPC) designated the Flatiron Building as a city landmark in 1966.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 7, 1966 |title=Gramercy Park Area Given Historic Designation; 50 Structures Included in Preservation District Gracie Mansion Also Picked as City Landmark |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/10/07/archives/gramercy-park-area-given-historic-designation-50-structures.html |url-status=live |access-date=September 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925005146/https://www.nytimes.com/1966/10/07/archives/gramercy-park-area-given-historic-designation-50-structures.html |archive-date=September 25, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=October 7, 1966 |title=Gracie Picked as Landmark |pages=99 |work=Daily News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109068484/gracie-picked-as-landmark/ |access-date=September 6, 2022 |archive-date=September 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907134248/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109068484/gracie-picked-as-landmark/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The structure, along with the [[Manhattan Municipal Building]], were the first two skyscrapers in New York City to be protected as city landmarks.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Horsley |first=Carter B. |date=September 29, 1974 |title=Skyscraper Here May Be Landmark: Seek "To Create Anchors" American Radiator Building May Win Designation |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/09/29/archives/skyscraper-here-may-be-landmark-seek-to-create-anchors-american.html |access-date=September 6, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810000136/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/09/29/archives/skyscraper-here-may-be-landmark-seek-to-create-anchors-american.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The Flatiron Building was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] (NRHP) in 1979.<ref name="Herzenberg" /><ref name="nrhpinv" /> The structure was re-added to the NRHP in 1989 when it was designated a [[National Historic Landmark]].<ref name="nhlsum" /><ref name="nrhpphotos" /> The LPC further designated the Flatiron Building as part of the [[Ladies' Mile Historic District]],<ref name="NYCL p. 297" /> a city landmark district created in 1989.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 7, 1989 |title=Ladies' Mile District Wins Landmark Status |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/07/style/ladies-mile-district-wins-landmark-status.html |url-status=live |access-date=April 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016150511/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/07/style/ladies-mile-district-wins-landmark-status.html |archive-date=October 16, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==== Critical reception ====
When the building was completed, critical response was not completely positive, and what praise it garnered was often for the cleverness of its engineering. [[Montgomery Schuyler]], editor of ''[[Architectural Record]]'', said that its "awkwardness [is] entirely undisguised, and without even an attempt to disguise them, if they have not even been aggravated by the treatment. ... The treatment of the tip is an additional and it seems wanton aggravation of the inherent awkwardness of the situation."<ref>''[[Architectural Record]]'' (October 1902), quoted in {{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|pp=125–126}}</ref> He praised the building's surface, and the detailing of its terra-cotta work, but questioned the practicality of its large number of windows: "[The tenant] can, perhaps, find wall space within for one roll top desk without overlapping the windows, with light close in front of him and close behind him and close on one side of him. But suppose he needed a bookcase? Undoubtedly he has a highly eligible place from which to view processions. But for the transaction of business?"<ref name="Alexiou p. 138">{{harvnb|ps=.|Alexiou|2010|p=138}}</ref>

Before the Flatiron Building was completed, ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine wrote: "Madison Square is not a bad-looking place as it is, and ought to be one of the beauty spots of the city. It is grievous to think that its fair proportions are to be marred by this outlandish structure."<ref name="Alexiou p. 60" /><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=June 20, 1901 |title=In This Partly Civilized Age and City... |volume=37 |issue=972 |page=522 |id={{proQuest|90679259}} |magazine=Life}}</ref> Sculptor [[William Ordway Partridge]] remarked in 1904 that it was "a disgrace to our city, an outrage to our sense of the artistic, and a menace to life".<ref name="n108917576" /><ref>In ''[[The New Yorker]]'' (August 12, 1939), quoted in {{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=126}}</ref> The ''New-York Tribune'' called the new building "A stingy piece of pie ... the greatest inanimate troublemaker in New York",<ref name="treasure" /> a sentiment repeated by ''Architectural Record''.<ref name="TL p. 54" /> The [[Municipal Art Society]] said that it was "unfit to be in the Center of the City", and ''The New York Times'' called it a "monstrosity".<ref name="treasure" /> Even later, Christopher Gray of the ''Times'' wrote in 1991: "The facade itself is handsome but not exceptional for its time."<ref name="nyt-1991-07-21" />

{{multiple image
| align             = right
| caption_align     = center
| direction         = horizontal
| header            = Two noted photographs{{anchor|iconic images}}
| header_align      = center
| image1            = Stieglitz Flat iron 1903.jpg
| width1            = 140
| caption1          = [[Alfred Stieglitz]] (1903)
| image2            = Steichen flatiron.jpg
| width2            = 231
| caption2          = [[Edward Steichen]] (1904)
}}
Some critics saw the building differently. Futurist [[H. G. Wells]] wrote in his 1906 book ''The Future in America: A Search After Realities'': "I found myself agape, admiring a sky-scraper the prow of the Flat-iron Building, to be particular, ploughing up through the traffic of Broadway and Fifth Avenue in the afternoon light."<ref>[[H. G. Wells|Wells, H. G.]] ''[https://archive.org/stream/hgwellsfuture00wellrich/hgwellsfuture00wellrich_djvu.txt The Future in America: A Search After Realities]''. London:Harpers,1906.</ref> Architect [[Robert A. M. Stern]] wrote in 1983 that the Flatiron was among the city's first buildings to "convincingly express the romantic characteristics of the skyscraper".<ref name="Stern (1983) p. 164" /> Karl Zimmermann of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' wrote in 1987 that the Flatiron was "an idiosyncratic wedge blanketed with French Renaissance ornamentation, still remarkable today in its lightness, grace and novelty."<ref>{{cite news |last=Zimmermann |first=Karl |date=April 26, 1987 |title=Looking Up: Skyscrapers on Tour |page=E01 |newspaper=The Washington Post |issn=0190-8286 |id={{ProQuest|306881699}}}}</ref>

In May 2023, ''Buildworld'' conducted a [[sentiment analysis]] of design-related tweets about notable buildings in the world and in United States.  In the U.S. survey, the Flatiron Building ranked fourth, after [[Fallingwater]], the [[Empire State Building]], and the [[Coit Tower]].<ref name="buildworld">Robyn (May 24, 2023) [https://www.buildworld.co.uk/blog/archives/most-loved-buildings-in-the-world "The Most Loved Buildings in the World"] ''Buildworld''</ref>

==== Photographs ====

The Flatiron was to attract the attention of numerous artists and photographers.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lowe |first=David |date=March 15, 1979 |title=Design Notebook |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/03/15/archives/design-notebook-madison-square-is-a-green-rip-in-the-citys-brick.html |access-date=September 6, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907134319/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/03/15/archives/design-notebook-madison-square-is-a-green-rip-in-the-citys-brick.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Stern (1983) p. 167" />{{sfn|Alexiou|2010|pp=153–57}} It was the subject of one of [[Edward Steichen]]'s atmospheric photographs, taken on a wet wintry late afternoon in 1904, as well as a memorable image by [[Alfred Stieglitz]] taken the year before, to which Steichen was paying homage.{{sfn|Alexiou|2010|pp=153–57}} Stieglitz reflected on the dynamic symbolism of the building, noting upon seeing it one day during a snowstorm that "... it appeared to be moving toward me like the bow of a monster ocean steamer&nbsp;– a picture of a new America still in the making."<ref name="LC p. 304" />{{sfn|Burns|Sanders|Ades|1999|page=233}} He remarked that the Flatiron had a comparable effect on New York as the [[Parthenon]] had on Athens.<ref name="wsjrev" /> When Stieglitz's photograph was published in ''Camera Work'', his friend [[Sadakichi Hartmann]], a writer, painter and photographer, accompanied it with an essay on the building: "A curious creation, no doubt, but can it be called beautiful? Beauty is a very abstract idea ... Why should the time not arrive when the majority without hesitation will pronounce the 'Flat-iron' a thing of beauty?"<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=156|ps=.}}</ref>

Besides Stieglitz and Steichen, photographers such as [[Alvin Langdon Coburn]] and [[Jessie Tarbox Beals]] took photographs of the building. Painters of the [[Ashcan School]], like [[John Sloan]], [[Everett Shinn]], and [[Ernest Lawson]] also painted images of the building, as did [[Paul Cornoyer]] and [[Childe Hassam]]. Lithographer [[Joseph Pennell]], illustrator [[John Edward Jackson (illustrator)|John Edward Jackson]], and French [[Cubism|Cubist]] [[Albert Gleizes]] all took the Flatiron as the subject of their work.{{sfn|Alexiou|2010|pp=158–59, 236}} The edifice was also depicted in [[Samuel Halpert]]'s 1919 painting ''Flatiron Building'', later placed in the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]'s collection.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shepard |first=Richard F. |date=March 20, 1987 |title=Seeing the Evolution of New York City Through Artists' Eyes |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/20/arts/seeing-the-evolution-of-new-york-city-through-artists-eyes.html |access-date=September 6, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024000537/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/20/arts/seeing-the-evolution-of-new-york-city-through-artists-eyes.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Wind gusts and "23 skidoo" ====
{{main|23 skidoo (phrase)}}

[[File:Well I'll be blowed postcard 1905.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|alt=A postcard from 1905, with the text "Well I'll Be Blowed", a depiction of two people being blown away, and a depiction of the Flatiron Building in the background|A postcard from 1905 with the Flatiron Building in the background]]

The building's most common criticism focused on its structure, on the grounds that the "combination of triangular shape and height would cause the building to fall down".<ref name="p124650174">{{Cite magazine |date=October 10, 1903 |title=Signs Multiply That the Steel-Skeleton Construction... |volume=82 |issue=1450 |page=10 |id={{proQuest|124650174}} |magazine=The American Architect and Building News}}</ref> When construction began, locals placed bets on how far the debris would spread when the wind knocked the building down. This presumed susceptibility to damage had also given it the nickname "Burnham's Folly".<ref>{{cite web |title=Flatiron Building |url=http://www.aviewoncities.com/nyc/flatiron.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302121951/http://www.aviewoncities.com/nyc/flatiron.htm |archive-date=March 2, 2009 |access-date=February 24, 2009}}</ref><ref name="kilgannon" /> The ''[[Brooklyn Daily Eagle]]'' was one of a few contemporary sources to describe the building's shape favorably, saying: "A triangle is the safest possible form of building, as the triangle is the strongest of the geometric form."<ref>{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=107|ps=.}}</ref>

Due to the geography of the site, with Broadway on one side, Fifth Avenue on the other, and the open expanse of [[Madison Square]] and the park in front of it, the wind currents around the building could be treacherous. Wind from the north would split around the building, downdrafts from above and updrafts from the vaulted area under the street would combine to make the wind unpredictable.{{sfn|Alexiou|2010|pp=149–50}} The winds raised women's skirts and scattered paper bills from pedestrians' pocketbooks.<ref name="LC p. 303" /> According to some accounts, this gave rise to the phrase "[[23 skidoo (phrase)|23 skidoo]]"<ref name="n1559453449" /><ref name="Douglas2004">{{cite book |last=Douglas |first=George H. |title=Skyscrapers: A Social History of the Very Tall Building in America |publisher=McFarland and Co. |year=2004 |isbn=0-7864-2030-8 |page=39}}</ref> (sometimes spelled "23 skiddoo"<ref name="TL p. 54" /><ref name="nyt-2002-09-30" /><ref name="p408891920">{{cite news |last=Murphy |first=Joan |date=January 19, 2001 |title=Nicknames Tell City Tales |page=C.4 |work=USA TODAY |id={{ProQuest|408891920}}}}</ref>). Policemen would shout this phrase at men who tried to get glimpses of women's dresses being blown up by the winds swirling around the building due to the strong downdrafts.{{efn|{{harvnb|Goldberger|1981|p=38}} note 3: Andrew S. Dolkart. [http://ci.columbia.edu/0240s/0242_2/0242_2_s5_text.html "The Architecture and Development of New York City: The Birth of the Skyscraper&nbsp;– Romantic Symbols"], [[Columbia University]], accessed May 15, 2007. "It is at a triangular site where Broadway and Fifth Avenue—the two most important streets of New York—meet at Madison Square, and because of the juxtaposition of the streets and the park across the street, there was a wind-tunnel effect here. In the early twentieth century, men would hang out on the corner here on Twenty-third Street and watch the wind blowing women's dresses up so that they could catch a little bit of ankle. This entered into popular culture and there are hundreds of postcards and illustrations of women with their dresses blowing up in front of the Flatiron Building. And it supposedly is where the slang expression '23 skidoo' comes from because the police would come and give the voyeurs the 23 skidoo to tell them to get out of the area."}}<ref name="TL p. 54" /><ref name="Douglas2004" /><ref name="p408891920" /> Films from the [[Library of Congress]] confirm that the building's shape did contribute to high winds around the intersection of Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and 23rd Street.<ref name="nyt-2002-09-30" /> However, the origin of the phrase "23 skidoo" itself is disputed; even before the building was constructed, the number "twenty-three" and the word "skidoo" were independently used as expressions of dismissal.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Slobin |first=Sarah |date=March 23, 1997 |title=F.y.i. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/23/nyregion/fyi-218294.html |access-date=September 7, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=December 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228001800/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/23/nyregion/fyi-218294.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

The winds allegedly also caused damage to neighboring structures, prompting some critics to request that the Flatiron Building be shortened or demolished.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 9, 1903 |title=May Have to Lower Flatiron Building |page=1 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |id={{proQuest|573232041}}}}</ref> The winds prompted a lawsuit from a nearby property owner,<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 23, 1903 |title=Sues "Flatiron" Owners; Clothier Says Wind Deflected by Big Building Wrought Havoc. Plate Glass Windows of Store Smashed and Pedestrians Blown Over – Seeks $5,000 Damages. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1903/01/23/archives/sues-flatiron-owners-clothier-says-wind-deflected-by-big-building.html |access-date=September 4, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904173043/https://www.nytimes.com/1903/01/23/archives/sues-flatiron-owners-clothier-says-wind-deflected-by-big-building.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and they were also blamed for the 1903 death of a bicycle messenger, who was blown into the street and run over by a car.<ref>{{cite news |date=February 10, 1903 |title=Wind Whirlpool |page=3 |work=Jackson Daily News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52796756/ |access-date=September 26, 2021 |archive-date=September 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907134249/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52796756/wind-whirlpool/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=February 6, 1903 |title=Wind Causes Boy's Death; Blows Him Under an Automobile Near Flatiron Building. Windows Smashed Along Broadway – The Gale Terrific Throughout the City – A Fifth Avenue Runaway. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1903/02/06/archives/wind-causes-boys-death-blows-him-under-an-automobile-near-flatiron.html |access-date=September 4, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904173039/https://www.nytimes.com/1903/02/06/archives/wind-causes-boys-death-blows-him-under-an-automobile-near-flatiron.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Newspapers of the time also claimed that "every window in the building" would break in high winds, although the ''American Architect and Building News'' observed that only a few windows broke during one such instance of high winds.<ref name="p124650174" /> Pedestrians were initially reluctant to walk on the same side of the street as the Flatiron Building because of concerns over the wind gusts, but these concerns had largely dissipated by the mid-20th century.<ref name="n1559453449" />

=== Design influence ===

Unlike other structures, such as the [[Seagram Building]] or New York City's brownstone houses, the Flatiron Building's shape was rarely copied by other structures in the city until the early 21st century.<ref name="nyt-2016-04-042">{{Cite news |last=Chaban |first=Matt A. V. |date=April 4, 2016 |title=Flatiron Building, Admired but Rarely Copied, Inspires Developers |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/05/nyregion/flatiron-building-admired-but-rarely-copied-inspires-developers.html |access-date=September 6, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818005007/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/05/nyregion/flatiron-building-admired-but-rarely-copied-inspires-developers.html |url-status=live}}</ref> This was in part because many buildings occupied rectangular sites on Manhattan's street grid;<ref>{{cite news |date=May 20, 1962 |title=8-Sided Buildings Pose Space Tests: Office Designers Try to Turn Odd Shapes Into Assets Odd-Shaped Buildings Avoided Stereotypes |page=R8 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|116059649}}}}</ref> furthermore, developers tended to avoid buying oddly-shaped plots, as their unconventional dimensions were hard to market to potential tenants.<ref name="nyt-2016-04-042" /> Consequently, in the early 20th century, the Flatiron Building was one of only two major buildings that were developed at the intersection of Broadway and another north–south avenue; the other was the [[One Times Square|Times Tower]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Fowler |first=Glenn |date=September 22, 1968 |title=Odd-Shaped Plots Foster Ingenuity in Design |page=418 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|118225821}}}}</ref> Although some buildings in lower Manhattan, such as [[One Wall Street Court]], also contain a flatiron shape, they generally were not as well known as the Flatiron Building.<ref>{{cite report |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1942.pdf |title=Beaver Building |date=February 13, 1996 |publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] |pages=2–3 |access-date=September 6, 2022 |archive-date=November 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110022506/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1942.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> A shortage of available land lots prompted the development of other triangular structures in the city during the 2010s, such as [[10 Sullivan]] and [[100 Franklin]].<ref name="nyt-2016-04-042" />

=== In popular culture ===
[[File:Flatiron Building and Street Scene October 8th 1902 New York City.ogv|thumb|upright=1.25|alt=A 1902 movie showing street life and the Flatiron Building|Movie showing street life and the Flatiron Building, 1902|left]]

One of the first films to depict the Flatiron Building was created by Robert Bonine, who used a [[kinetograph]] to film the building on October 8, 1902, a week after the building opened.<ref name="Alexiou p. 133">{{harvnb|Alexiou|2010|p=133|ps=.}}</ref> In the 1958 comedy film ''[[Bell, Book and Candle]]'', [[James Stewart]] and [[Kim Novak]] were filmed on top of the Flatiron Building in a romantic clinch. For [[Warren Beatty]]'s 1980 film ''[[Reds (film)|Reds]]'', the base of the building was used for a scene with [[Diane Keaton]].<ref>{{cite movielove}}</ref>

Over the years, the Flatiron Building became one of New York City's most photographed buildings.<ref name="Hinckley z951">{{cite web |last=Hinckley |first=David |date=April 3, 2014 |title=‘Treasures of New York: The Flatiron Building,’ TV review |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2014/04/03/treasures-of-new-york-the-flatiron-building-tv-review/ |access-date=November 5, 2025 |website=New York Daily News}}</ref> In 1987, the building was used as the scene of a murder for the TV series ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'', in the episode "No Accounting for Murder". In the 1998 film ''[[Godzilla (1998 film)|Godzilla]]'', it is accidentally destroyed by the US Army while in pursuit of [[Zilla (Godzilla)|Godzilla]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lyman |first=Rick |date=May 19, 1997 |title=Rains Come to Wall Street And With Them, Godzilla |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/19/movies/rains-come-to-wall-street-and-with-them-godzilla.html |access-date=September 7, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=December 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230010536/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/19/movies/rains-come-to-wall-street-and-with-them-godzilla.html |url-status=live}}</ref> It is depicted as the headquarters of the ''[[Daily Bugle]]'', for which [[Peter Parker]] is a freelance photographer, in [[Sam Raimi]]'s [[Spider-Man (2002 film series)|''Spider-Man'' trilogy]], and once again in ''[[The Spectacular Spider-Man (TV series)|The Spectacular Spider-Man]]'' animated series.{{sfn|Sanderson|2007|pages=36–39}} It is shown in the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)|''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' TV series]] as well.<ref>{{cite web |date=April 28, 2020 |title=Flatiron District Movie Locations |url=https://onlocationtours.com/locations/flatiron-district-new-york/ |access-date=April 26, 2024 |website=On Location Tours}}</ref> In the 2006–2012 comic book series ''[[The Boys (comics)|The Boys]]'' and the 2022 [[The Boys season 3|third season]] and 2024 [[The Boys season 4|fourth season]] of [[The Boys (TV series)|its television adaptation]], it is depicted as the headquarters of the titular [[CIA]] [[black ops]] group.<ref>{{cite web |last=Talley |first=Trevor |title=''The Boys''{{'}} Headquarters Is a Famous New York Building: How Much Would It Cost to Rent? |work=[[Comic Book Resources]] |date=June 23, 2024 |url=https://www.cbr.com/the-boys-headquarters-how-much-to-rent |access-date=June 23, 2024}}</ref>

In 2013, the [[Whitney Museum of American Art]] installed a life-sized 3D-cutout replica of [[Edward Hopper]]'s 1942 painting ''[[Nighthawks (painting)|Nighthawks]]'' in the Flatiron Art Space in the building's prow. Although Hopper said his picture was inspired by a diner in [[Greenwich Village]], the prow is reminiscent of the painting, and was selected to display the two-dimensional cutouts.<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/16/nighthawks-painting_n_3768498.html "Famous 'Nighthawks' Painting Has Been Recreated As A 3D Installation In NYC"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130827050441/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/16/nighthawks-painting_n_3768498.html |date=August 27, 2013}} ''[[Huffington Post]]'' (August 16, 2013)</ref> In 2014, the [[Lego Architecture]] series produced a model of the Flatiron Building to add to their series of landmarks.<ref name="Liszewski 2015">{{cite web |last=Liszewski |first=Andrew |title=Hands on with the Lego version of New York's iconic Flatiron Building |work=[[Gizmodo]] |date=May 1, 2015 |url=https://gizmodo.com/hands-on-with-the-lego-version-of-new-yorks-iconic-flat-1700411871 |access-date=August 6, 2017 |archive-date=August 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806063349/http://gizmodo.com/hands-on-with-the-lego-version-of-new-yorks-iconic-flat-1700411871 |url-status=live}}</ref> The subsequent New York City set, introduced in 2015, also included the building.<ref name="Liszewski 2015" />

The Flatiron Building was also the subject of a book, ''The Flatiron: The New York Landmark and the Incomparable City that Arose With It'', published in 2010 and written by Alice Sparberg Alexiou.<ref name="wsjrev">{{Cite news |last=Morrone |first=Francis |date=June 12, 2010 |title=The Triangle in the Sky |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704312104575298571015121624 |access-date=September 7, 2022 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Yardley |first=Jonathan |date=June 27, 2010 |title=Book Review of 'Flatiron,' About a Manhattan Landmark |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |language=en-US |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/25/AR2010062502268.html |access-date=September 7, 2022 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220092342/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/25/AR2010062502268.html |archive-date=February 20, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, in 2014, it was the focus of the [[PBS]] documentary ''Treasures of New York: The Flatiron Building''.<ref name="Hinckley z951" />

==Gallery==
<gallery heights="250" mode="packed">
File:Flatiron Building NYC c1903.jpg|The building {{circa|1903|lk=no}}
File:United-Cigar-Wake-Up-America.jpeg|[[U.S. Navy|Navy]] recruiting station in the building's "cowcatcher" during the pre–[[World War I]] [[Wake Up America Day|Wake up America Day]] parade<br />(April 19, 1917)
File:Flatiron Building 3618433845 5745ebc1b9.jpg|Side view
File:Flatiron building.jpg|Rear view
</gallery>

==See also==
* {{anl|Early skyscrapers}}
* {{anl|List of Flatiron buildings}}
* [[List of National Historic Landmarks in New York City]]
* [[List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets]]

==References==

=== Informational notes ===
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
* {{cite flatiron}}<!--Alexiou-->
* {{cite book |url=http://www.archdaily.com/515780/urban-design-for-an-urban-century-shaping-more-livable-equitable-and-resilient-cities/ |title=Urban Design for an Urban Century: Shaping More Livable, Equitable, and Resilient Cities |date=June 21, 2014 |first1=Lance Jay |last1=Brown |first2=David |last2=Dixon |first3=Oliver |last3=Gillham |location=Hoboken |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons|Wiley]] |edition=2nd |isbn=978-1-118-45363-6}}
* {{cite book |author-link1=Ric Burns |last1=Burns |first1=Ric |author-link2=James Sanders (architect) |last2=Sanders |first2=James |first3=Lisa |last3=Ades |title=[[New York: A Documentary Film|New York: An Illustrated History]] |page=233 |publisher=[[Knopf]] |year=1999}}
* {{cite report |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/2b45419b-c15e-4093-a07f-f65f2ca167dc |title=Flatiron Building |date=June 29, 1989 |publisher=[[National Register of Historic Places]], [[National Park Service]] |ref={{harvid|National Park Service|1989}}}}
* {{cite magazine |date=March 29, 1902 |title=The Flatiron Building, New York |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JfAwAQAAMAAJ |publisher=McGraw Publishing Company |volume=45 |issue=13 |ref={{harvid|Engineering Record|1902}} |magazine=Engineering Record, Building Record and Sanitary Engineer}}
* {{cite book |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Goldberger |title=The skyscraper |publisher=Knopf Distributed by Random House |location=New York |year=1981 |isbn=978-0-394-71586-5 |oclc=7653455}}
* {{cite book |last=Koolhaas |first=Rem |author-link=Rem Koolhaas |title=[[Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan]] |publisher=The Monacelli Press |location=New York |year=1994 |isbn=978-1-885254-00-9 |oclc=881684136}}
* {{cite web |date=May 2, 1989 |title=Ladies' Mile Historic District |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1609.pdf |website= |publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] |ref={{harvid|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989}}}}
* {{Cite nysky}}
* {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uI-SDwAAQBAJ&q=flat+iron+buildings |chapter=15 "Flat Iron Building" |title=Building A History of New York in 27 Buildings: The 400-Year Untold Story of an American Metropolis |first1=Sam |last1=Roberts |isbn=9781620409817 |date=October 22, 2019 |format=Ebook |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]] |language=English}}
* {{cite book |last=Sanderson |first=Peter |title=The Marvel Comics Guide to New York City |publisher=[[Pocket Books]] |year=2007 |location=New York City |pages=36–39 |isbn=978-1-4165-3141-8}}
* {{Cite New York 1900}}
* {{Sfn whitelist|CITEREFTauranac1985}}{{Cite Elegant New York}}
* {{cite book |last1=Terranova |first1=Antonino |first2=Valeria |last2=Manferto |location=Vercelli Maidstone |publisher=[[De Agostini|White Star Amalgamated Book Services]] |title=Skyscrapers |year=2003 |isbn=88-8095-230-7}}
* {{cite aia5}}<!--White Willensky Leadon-->
* {{cite journal |last1=Zukowsky |first1=John |last2=Saliga |first2=Pauline |title=Late Works by Burnham and Sullivan |journal=Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies |volume=11 |issue=1 |year=1984 |page=70 |issn=0069-3235 |doi=10.2307/4115889 |jstor=4115889}}

=== Further reading ===
* {{cite book |last1=Berman |first1=Miriam |title=Madison Square: The Park and Its Celebrated Landmarks |location=United |isbn=9781586850371 |year=2001 |type=Hardcover |publisher=[[Gibbs Smith|Gibbs Smith, Publisher]] |language=English}}
* {{cite book |last1=Kreitler |first1=Peter Gwillim |title=Flatiron: A Photographic History of the World's First Steel Frame Skyscraper, 1901–1990 |publisher=[[American Institute of Architects|AIA]] Press |year=1991 |isbn=978-1-55835-060-1}}
* {{cite web |last1=Laurin |first1=Dale |url=http://www.beautyofnyc.org/FLATIRON_Bldg-DL.pdf |pages=1–4 |year=2008 |work=Aesthetic Realism Looks at NYC |publisher=[[Aesthetic Realism]] Foundation |title=Grace and Seriousness in the Flatiron Building and Ourselves |ref=none}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Flatiron Building (New York City)}}
{{Spoken Wikipedia|Spoken Wikipedia - Flatiron Building.wav|date=November 15, 2018}}
* {{Cite web |url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/114793 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911110814/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/114793 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=September 11, 2015 |title=Emporis building ID 114793 |work=[[Emporis]]}}
* {{Skyscraperpage|1482}}
* {{official website|https://www.gfpre.com|name=Building Owner: GFP Real Estate}}
* {{official website|https://sorgentegroupofamerica.com|Building Owner: Sorgente Group}}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loR3nkSxH2I |format=Video |title=Travel New York&nbsp;– The Triangular Flatiron Building in New York City |date=September 20, 2010 |via=[[YouTube]]}}

{{Gramercy, Kips Bay, Stuyvesant Square}}
{{Fifth Avenue}}
{{Broadway (Manhattan)}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1902 establishments in New York City]]
[[Category:1900s architecture in the United States]]
[[Category:23rd Street (Manhattan)]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Broadway (Manhattan)]]
[[Category:Chicago school architecture in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Fifth Avenue]]
[[Category:Flatiron buildings]]
[[Category:Flatiron District]]
[[Category:Headquarters in the United States]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in Manhattan]]
[[Category:New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan]]
[[Category:New York State Register of Historic Places in New York County]]
[[Category:Office buildings completed in 1902]]
[[Category:Office buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan]]
[[Category:Renaissance Revival architecture in New York City]]
[[Category:Skyscraper office buildings in Manhattan]]
[[Category:Triangular buildings]]