175 Fifth Avenue

Located at the intersection of Fifth Avenue, Broadway and 23rd Street East, this building is recognized for its style and atypical architecture. At the time of its construction in 1902, in addition to being established on a three-sided base, it was one of the tallest commercial buildings in the city. With its rounded tip measuring 6.5 feet (2 meters) wide, several residents and even the media shared their doubts about the solidity of the structure, even if it rested on a steel frame. The uncertainties were based on the fact that the base was triangular instead of rectangular like the other tall constructions. However, it is not the only triangular construction but certainly one of the tallest of this shape. It was nicknamed Flatiron because of its shape.

The construction was completed rapidly and fears on sturdiness dissipated over time. A penthouse and a basement were added three years after the completion of the initial work making it a 22-story building with a height of 285 feet (86.9 m). Later, a lower part was added at street level to the narrow part to add a commercial window.

The materials chosen and architectural details in the stone and columns give a character to the building which became a popular site for photographers and even filmmakers. Indeed, we see the structure in a few films including in Spiderman and Godzilla.

The Flatiron building is so distinctive that this building is quickly associated with New York as a symbolic figure in the city.  It is often found on postcards, tourist guide books, paintings of the city and the surrounding district which was named in its honor.

It was initially called the Fuller Building because the building was built to house the head office of the Fuller Corporation, a Chicago construction company that remained there for several years. Several large companies settled there over time and the penthouse was particularly coveted by artists.

There seems to be little for visitors to see inside, but it is mentioned that a few offices have great views of the Empire State Building. Since the start, the Flatiron Building had planned to accommodate offices. Some layout challenges were met. The offices have irregular shapes and in the original design, they failed to consider toilets for women. The solution was then to alternate them on different floors. So the odd floors have toilets for women and vice versa for men.

Please note that there is no tour of the interior. The access of the superior levels are not publically open, but the commercial stores are open. Nonetheless, as mentioned previously, all the beauty of the building is exterior.

For several years now, the site has been relatively devoid of activities. In March 2023, the building was sold at auction and the new owner plans to turn it into a luxury condo building.

• The huge detailed portals with imposing half-columns integrated into the work at 175 5th Avenue and 949 Broadway with the bull’s eye above the entrances

• The change in style on the 4th floor with an eagle on the narrowest point, faces in crowned relief, lion heads carved in stone, embossed stones and artistic insertions between the inter-windows.

• At the height, notice the cornices with modillions which give a nice detailed relief on the 4th and 21st floors.

• Circles in two interlocking formats run endlessly along the upper part of the 4th floor in a linear fashion, marking another style on the upper floors. This design is recalled in the vestibule of the building.

• The pretty balustrade on the top floor

• On the narrowest, tallest and hard-to-see part of Madison Square Park, two statues of young guards are on either side of a fleur-de-lys coat of arms.

The building experienced rebellious popularity in the early years of construction. The commercial intersection brought strong air currents to lift the petticoats revealing the ankles of ladies in long dresses, common at the time, which brought its share of voyeurs.

Please note that in May 2023, the building was surrounded by scaffolding for renovation.

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