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Favorite Buildings – The Flatiron

Originally called the Fuller Building, the Flatiron is a triangular-shaped, 22-story, 285-foot landmark building located at 175 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan, New York City, New York.  Completed in 1902, it was one of the tallest buildings in the city.  It is located on a triangular block and measures 87 feet in the back and 6.5 feet in the front.  The offices in the front of the building face the Empire State Building and are highly desired.  Looking down from the top of the building (see photo) it resembles a cast-iron clothes iron.

It was designated a New York City landmark in 1966, on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and a National Historic landmark in 1989.

The Fuller Company, a general contractor that specialized in building skyscrapers made this building its headquarters.  There is limestone at the bottom which changes to glazed terra cotta on the way up. There are a great number of windows and very little wall space in the offices inside the building.  The land and construction costs to complete the building in 1902 were $2 million.  The Flatiron has changed hands several times over the years.

In 1959 St. Martin’s Press moved in; and gradually Macmillan, the parent company, took over the rest of the building.  By 2004 all the offices were rented by Macmillan.  In 2009 the value of the building was estimated to be $190 million.  In July of 2017 Macmillan announced that it was consolidating all of its New York offices into the Equitable Building.  By June 14, 2019, the building was empty.

In June, 2019, GFP Real Estate, the owner of the Flatiron, announced a plan to upgrade the building at a cost of $60-80 million.  The Flatiron is seen in many TV programs, commercials and movies.

Photo Credit:  Pixabay

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Written by LindaOH

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