The Flatiron Building has been around since 1902, and has a very unique look amongst New York’s famous buildings. Before the Empire State Building took over, it was the Flatiron that was most synonymous with NYC.
It was one of the first towers in Gotham constructed on a steel skeleton, and was known as one of our first skyscrapers.
Want to know what else you might not know about the Flatiron Building? Here are 17 facts that might surprise you about one of NYC's most famous structural icons.
1. It came from Chicago
Okay, not literally, but it was designed by Architect Daniel Burnham for The Fuller Company, both of whom were from Chicago. It was originally known as The Fuller Building.
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2. It wasn’t named for its appearance
The wedge shape formed by Broadway, Fifth, and 23rd and 22nd Streets were already known as The Flat Iron before the building came along. Some folks tried to call it The Cowcatcher Building, due to its resemblance to the device on the front of locomotives, but that never caught on.
3. People thought it would collapse
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Many New Yorkers thought the odd looking building wouldn't hold up, calling it Burnham's Folly. They figured the winds would knock it over. They even made bets. We suppose there's a small comfort in knowing there were a lot of idiots alive even then, just like today.
4. It’s only 6 feet wide at one end
You probably know a few people taller than the skinny end of the Flatiron is wide. Wild, huh?
5. Men are even, women are odd?
Men's bathrooms were designed to be on the even floors, and women's bathrooms were on the odd floors.
6. It used to attract perverts
The Ladies Mile of shops used to end a block away at Madison, leaving plenty of opportunities for a glimpse of female undergarments in the winds generated around the Flatiron. There was even a movie made about this phenomenon, The Flatiron Building on a Windy Day.
7. It originated some American slang
Ever hear the old expression “23 Skidoo?” It means "get lost," and it came from the NYPD Officers who regularly patrolled in front of the Flatiron, chasing away the men hoping watch women’s skirts fly up in the wind. “Scram,” “Skedaddle,” and “Skedat,” are all modern expressions thought to have originated from these incidents.
8. It helped revitalize 23rd Street
The 23rd Street area is bustling now, but it wasn't long ago that it was a relatively dead space. Business began to bloom around the Flatiron again in the 90s, drawn by the popularity of the iconic tower.
,9. Spider-Man works there
In the movies he does, anyway. The Flatiron stood in for the infamous Daily Bugle. But in the comics, the Daily Bugle was located in the 50s on Madison. The lesser known Marvel team Damage, Inc. was located in the Flatiron.
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10. It wasn’t the 1st triangular tower ever
The Gooderham Building in Toronto, Canada precedes our tower by 10 years. Although it’s a lot smaller than the Flatiron.
11. It’s a U.S. National Historic Landmark
It gained this honor in 1989, although it’s still a functioning office building. What kind of work goes on there? Glad you asked…
12. Publishers work from there
MacMillan Publishing in particular, has the headquarters of their various groups in The Flatiron. They will remain there until 2020, when their leases run out. What will happen to The Flatiron then? Glad you asked…
13. It will soon be a luxury hotel
The Italian Real Estate Investment Firm, Sorgente Group, owns the majority stake in the Flatiron.
In accordance to New York’s zoning laws, they will be allowed to turn the icon into a luxury hotel in the near future.
14. It inspired other structures
The singular looking tower has inspired the Dutch to construct similar looking buildings such as The Vesteda Toren and Het Strijkijzer. The latter of which translates directly to “Flatiron.”
15. The Flatiron Restaurant and Cafe
"Mmm. Can't wait to have eels in jelly and breaded calf brains!"
Things like this menu show how much times and tastes have changed. Back in the day, the Flatiron District was straight up commercial area only, not much residential was going on there. The long gone Flatiron Restaurant and Cafe did heavy business serving meals to the people who worked there.
16. There's a row of creepy faces on the 22nd floor
It's a long tradition in architecture, especially in New York City, to add gargoyles or grotesques to the roof, parapets, or elsewhere on the exterior of the building. The Flatiron is no different. Look up at it, and it will look back down on you.
17. There's no observation deck on the top
Inconceivable now, but there was never an observation deck planned for the Flatiron, and there still isn't one. While there are shops in the lobby you can visit, there's no attraction at the top.
The Flatiron isn't the tallest building in New York, and it's no longer the most famous, but it still inspires people when they see it. As previously stated, the iconic tower was the face of New York City until it was usurped by The Empire State Building, but it still holds its own even today.
So the next time you're on 23rd and 5th, take another good look at The Flatiron, and maybe say "23 Skidoo" for old time's sake.
“I found myself agape, admiring a sky-scraper—the prow of the Flatiron Building, to be particular, ploughing up through the traffic of Broadway and Fifth Avenue in the afternoon light.” ~ H.G. Wells, The Future in America: A Search After Realities, 1906.
If you enjoyed this article, check out 5 Incredible Facts You Might Not Know About the NYC Subway!