Few buildings on earth are as instantly recognizable as the Flatiron Building. Rising from the acute triangle where Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and 22nd Street collide, this 22-story limestone-and-terracotta skyscraper has stood since 1902 as both an architectural landmark and a cultural touchstone — a symbol of the ambition and ingenuity that came to define New York City.
It's also where the modern skyscraper began. For the bigger picture, see our guide to New York's iconic skyscrapers — and since the Flatiron anchors the southern end of Fifth Avenue, pair it with our New York shopping guide.
| Height | 285 ft / 87 m |
| Floors | 22 |
| Built | 1902 |
| Architect | D.H. Burnham & Co. |
A Bold Commission
The project was commissioned by George A. Fuller, a pioneering builder who had already earned a reputation for erecting steel-frame structures across the country. The Fuller Company purchased the wedge-shaped plot — known as "Times Square" before that name migrated north — and hired Daniel Hudson Burnham, the celebrated Chicago architect and city planner responsible for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.
Burnham's firm designed a 22-story Beaux-Arts tower clad in ornate limestone and glazed terracotta, with a façade richly decorated with Renaissance and Classical motifs. Construction began in 1901 and was completed remarkably quickly, with the building opening its doors in 1902. It was, at the time, one of the tallest buildings in New York City.
The Architecture of an Iron
The building's most distinctive feature is, of course, its shape. The triangular footprint is the direct result of its unusual plot: where Broadway slices diagonally across Manhattan's grid, it creates acute intersections — and in the Flatiron's case, the northern tip measures just six feet wide. The resemblance to a clothes iron gave the building its enduring popular name, even though it was officially called the Fuller Building for decades.
Structurally, the Flatiron was a feat of engineering. It uses a steel skeleton — the same technology pioneered in Chicago — allowing the exterior walls to be non-load-bearing and thus filled with large windows that flood the interior with light. The façade is divided into three horizontal zones following classical column logic: a base, a middle shaft, and an elaborate cornice at the top. The terracotta ornamentation is extraordinarily detailed, featuring garlands, grotesques, and foliate patterns that reward close inspection.
"It appeared to be moving toward you like the bow of a monster ocean steamer." — H.G. Wells, on seeing the Flatiron Building, 1906
Beyond Architecture: A Cultural Icon
From the very beginning, the Flatiron Building captured the imagination of artists, writers, and photographers. Edward Steichen photographed it in 1904, producing one of the most iconic images in the history of American photography. Alfred Stieglitz, too, was drawn to its dramatic silhouette against winter skies. The building became a symbol of modernity itself — proof that humanity could reshape the urban landscape in unprecedented ways.
The unusual aerodynamics of the building's triangular shape generated powerful wind vortices on the streets below, causing skirts to billow upward — a phenomenon that, according to popular legend, gave rise to the expression "23 skidoo," as police would shoo away young men who gathered at 23rd Street hoping to catch a glimpse. Whether or not the story is apocryphal, it speaks to the building's deep embedding in the city's social mythology.
Landmark Status and Recent History
The Flatiron Building was designated a New York City landmark in 1966 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, recognizing its architectural and historical significance. For over a century it housed offices, publishing companies, and media firms, becoming as much a part of the working city as of its scenic backdrop.
In 2023, the building changed hands after a dramatic bidding war at auction, with plans announced for a comprehensive restoration and conversion into luxury residential condominiums. The project promises to preserve the building's celebrated exterior while reimagining the interior for twenty-first-century living — a fitting next chapter for a structure that has always embodied the city's restless reinvention.
Visiting the Flatiron Building
The Flatiron Building stands at the intersection of Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and 23rd Street in the Flatiron District of Manhattan. The surrounding neighborhood — named for the building itself — is one of the most vibrant in the city, filled with restaurants, galleries, boutiques, and Madison Square Park just to the north.
The best views of the building are from the north, looking south along Fifth Avenue, where the full drama of its prow-like form is revealed. Early morning and blue-hour light are particularly rewarding for photographers. The nearest subway stations are at 23rd Street on the N, R, W, F, and M lines.
The Flatiron Building — 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
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Wear the City
The Flatiron is New York in a single silhouette. NYNA — New York Nieuw Amsterdam — turns the city's landmarks into streetwear you can live in. Explore the Skyline Collection and wear a piece of New York.
