The Flatiron Building - NY, NY - There's a Book About It on Waymarking.com

The Flatiron Building was designed by Chicago architect in the Beaux-Arts - Chicago Early Modern style and built in 1902. Originally the called the Fuller Building, it gained it's name because it resembled a 19th century cast-iron clothing iron. At the time of its construction, in the fashionable Madison Square district of Manhattan, at 21 stories and 285' high it was one of the tallest buildings in Manhattan. Its steel frame construction made it the forerunner of many skyscrapers to come.

The Flatiron Building has been designated one of the Great Buildings of the World. The unusually shaped building is a mecca for photographers and the area is a destination for shopping.

The innovative design of the building and its effect on the surrounding area made the Flatiron Building loved and feared ever since it was built. According to the press review of the book by Alice Sparberg Alexiou:

"The marvelous story of one of New York City's most unique buildings Critics hated it. The public feared it would fall over. Passersby were knocked down by the winds. But even before it was completed, the Flatiron Building had become an unforgettable part of New York City.

Alice Sparberg Alexiou chronicles not just the story of the building, but the heady times in which it was built. It was the dawn of the twentieth century, a time when Madison Square Park shifted from a promenade for rich women to one for gay prostitutes; when photography became an art; motion pictures came into existence; the booming economy suffered increasing depressions; jazz came to the forefront of popular music--and all within steps of one of the city's best-known and best-loved buildings."