History and architecture
Completed in 1902 to designs by D. H. Burnham & Co., the Flatiron Building fits the triangular plot where Broadway crosses Fifth Avenue at 23rd Street. Its steel frame allowed an unusually tall, narrow building, while the richly ornamented exterior drew on French Renaissance architecture.
The shape is easiest to understand from the north, where the narrow point faces Madison Square. Moving toward either side changes the building from a slender wedge into a long street wall. That contrast is part of the design: the celebrated silhouette comes directly from the irregular site.
What to look for
- The rounded northern point where the two long facades meet.
- Ornament around the windows and along the upper facade.
- How the apparent width changes between the Fifth Avenue and Broadway views.
Sources and further reading
Reviewed September 5, 2026.