A New Era at the Flatiron- Restoring a Historic Landmark

The Flatiron Building. New York, New York.

The Flatiron Building, a New York City icon, has been undergoing renovations since its last, and largest, tenant moved out in 2019- Macmillan Publishers. The term ‘flatiron’ refers to the city block’s shape, which resembles a cast iron clothes iron and predates the building’s construction. In the late 1800’s the lot was owned by Amos Eno and was called ‘Eno’s Flatiron’. By 1901 the lot was owned by Cumberland Realty who formed a partnership with the Fuller Company and their CEO, Harry S. Black. The Fuller Company was the first true general contractor dealing with all aspects of a building’s construction and specialized in skyscrapers. (The Fuller Company’s founder, George A. Fuller, was considered the ‘father of the skyscraper’ and had died two years prior.)  The partners hired Daniel Burnham and Fredrick Dinkelberg to design a new skyscraper on the lot to house The Fuller Company headquarters. Burnham was a renowned architect and urban planner. (He created the master plans for the cities of Washington DC and Chicago, and designed: The Rookery in Chicago, Union Station in Washington DC, Selfridges in London, and the Merchant’s Exchange Building in San Francisco.) Burnham designed the Flatiron Building in the Chicago School style, which has a Beaux Arts influence- combining French Neoclassicism with Renaissance and Baroque elements with modern building materials and techniques (iron, glass, fireproofing). Burnham referred to the Flatiron as a vertical renaissance palazzo with Beaux Arts styling. (Renaissance palazzo is a term used to refer to any urban building built as a grand residence.) The design was a departure from other early New York City skyscrapers in which a single tower rose from a lower, blockier mass, such as The Singer Building. At completion in 1902, the Flatiron (called the Fuller Building) was Manhattan’s first skyscraper north of 14th Street. The building’s steel frame was designed with structural engineer Corydon Purdy of Purdy and Henderson and built to withstand four-times the maximum wind force of the area. The façade is vertically divided into 3 sections, similar to the components of a classical column. The lower floors are encased in limestone and the upper floors in glazed terracotta. The building had unobstructed views north, and was popular with artists, writers and photographers. H.G. Wells wrote about the Flatiron: “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.” Against Burnham’s wishes, a cowcatcher retail space was added at ground level, filling 93 sq ft of unused space at the northern point. Additionally, a penthouse was added in 1905. The building’s cellars extend into vaults 20 feet underground. A restaurant occupied this space. Over the years the building remained popular, housing mostly small tenants, with large tenants such as Macmillan Publishers. In its 120-year history, repairs and updates were a challenge due to a tenant-in-common policy that required all parties to agree on action. The building was known for its iconic exterior and dated interiors, which weren’t user-friendly. Macmillan Publishers wrote of the building, “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,” The building is currently closed and undergoing an $80 million renovation to restore and modernize. One of the current owners, SorgenteGroup of America, specializes in sustainable renovations of historic buildings. It’s believed the intended future use is for it to remain an office building- and its surrounding neighborhood is currently popular with the tech industry. The Flatiron Building was designated a New York City Landmark in 1966, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989.