The Flatiron Building – when translated, ‘flatiron’ means an iron. The building does look well ironed among all other New York’s skyscrapers. It was designed by Daniel Burnham, and it was finished in 1902. The building sprouted during the skyscraper trend, but it was different from anything that had been constructed before.
It is famous for its triangular ironed shape. The façade is ‘heavy’ (it is coated with limestone and glazed terracotta), but it is also luxuriously decorated. For more than a hundred years, the Flatrion Building has been an architectural landmark and famous tourist attraction, even though it has always been a private-business space. Amazement and astonishment with its oddness has not paled, so tourists can be seen marveling to the building on daily basis.
The building was designated a New York City landmark in 1966, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989. Its interior is known for the unusual arrangement and shape of offices with walls cut at a certain angle. These ‘pointy’ offices are also the most desirable ones because they look directly in another Manhattan’s sight – the Empire State Building.
Today, the Flatiron is often used for TV advertisements and documentaries; it is also shown in the intro of Late Night with David Letterman. The building also appears in the Godzilla movie
Author of the article:
Marijana Niković tour guide for Montenegro
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photo credit:Sebastian A.
