Gooderham Building - Toronto, ON
N 43° 38.902 W 079° 22.438
17T E 631134 N 4834103
Built in 1892. That's ten years before the Fuller Building in New York City.
Waymark Code: WM7D82
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 10/08/2009
Views: 16
The oldest of all flat irons was actually built in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, in 1880. It burned down in 1890 and was rebuilt, but then burned down again shortly thereafter. In 1987 another flat iron was built.
So, that leaves the Gooderham Building, built in 1892, as the oldest flat iron building in the known world.
According to Wikipedia;
"The red brick Gooderham Building (commonly referred to as the Flatiron Building) at 49 Wellington Street East in Toronto, Ontario, Canada is located on the eastern edge of the city's financial district (east of Yonge Street), on the north side of the Front Street (St. Lawrence) neighbourhood wedged between Front Street and Wellington Street, where they join up to form a triangular intersection. Although a prominent landmark both for its colour and shape, it is only five storeys high. Completed in 1892, it was an early example of a prominent "Flatiron" building. The English-American Building in Atlanta was completed in 1897, and the Fuller Building in New York City was completed in 1902.
The previous building was shorter but in the same shape and was called the Coffin Block. The current building was built by architect David Roberts, Jr. and originally cost $18,000 to construct for distiller George Gooderham, son of the founder William Gooderham. It was the office of the Gooderham & Worts distillery until 1952 and sold by the Gooderham Estate in 1957.
It is well-known both for its narrow wedge shape, and for the mural on its back wall, which uses a trompe l'oeil (Wish I'd known that!) effect to not only make the wall appear to have more windows than it does, but to also give it a more mobile effect by having its edges 'fluttering' away where they are not 'tacked' down. The mural, called Trompe d'oille, was created by renowned Canadian artist Derek Michael Besant. The mural is a picture of the Perkins Building, which is located directly across the street. Saved by David and Thomas Walsh, restoration took place in 1998 by the owners Michael and Anne Tippin. The building was declared a historic site in 1975 and is now managed and owned by Woodcliffe Corporation.
In addition to the fine architecture, there is a large patio, and a small pub in the basement. The building is open to view from Monday to Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m
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