LEGO Architecture User manual

Flatiron Building
New York City, NY, USA
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Flatiron Building
Sitting on the intersection where Fifth Avenue and Broadway cross, the
Flatiron Building (originally named the Fuller Building) remains one of
New York City’s most popular and memorable structures. Today it is
difficult to imagine the controversy this architectural landmark created
on its completion in 1902.
[ I found myself agape, admiring a sky-scraper...
ploughing up through the traffic of Broadway
and Fifth Avenue in the afternoon light. ]
H. G. Wells, 1906
The Architect
Born in New York and raised in Chicago, Daniel H. Burnham would
become one of the founding fathers of the first Chicago School of
architects. Together with his then partner John W. Root, Burnham built
one of the first American skyscrapers, the 21-story Masonic Temple
Building in Chicago in 1892, and planned the architectural layout of the
largest World Fair ever held at that time in 1893.
Burnham’s architecture mixed elements of Modernism with a more
neoclassical style. Many of his buildings, including the Flatiron, followed
the convention of the classical column: three distinct parts made up of
a base, a middle section, and an ornate cornice at the top.
Burnham’s early sketches for the
Flatiron Building included a clock
face and a far more elaborate
crown at the top of the building,
but he was persuaded to remove
both by his former partner John W.
Root. Though Burnham retained
overall control of the project,
he engaged the architect F. P.
Dinkelberg (1859–1935) to carry
out most of the supervising work
during the actual construction.
After the Flatiron Building, Burnham
would continue to work on a
series of impressive architectural
projects, including a number of
major planning tasks for the cities of San Francisco, Washington, D.C.,
and Manila in the Philippines. At the time of his death in 1912, his D. H.
Burnham & Co. architectural firm was the largest in the world.
© Per Tropp-Christiansen
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Sitting on the intersection where Fifth Avenue and Broadway cross, the
Flatiron Building (originally named the Fuller Building) remains one of
New York City’s most popular and memorable structures. Today it is
difficult to imagine the controversy this architectural landmark created
[ I found myself agape, admiring a sky-scraper...
ploughing up through the traffic of Broadway
H. G. Wells, 1906
The Architect
Born in New York and raised in Chicago, Daniel H. Burnham would
become one of the founding fathers of the first Chicago School of
architects. Together with his then-partner John W. Root, Burnham built
one of the first American skyscrapers, the 21-story Masonic Temple
Building in Chicago in 1892, and planned the architectural layout of the
largest World Fair ever held at that time in 1893.
Burnham’s architecture mixed elements of Modernism with a more
neoclassical style. Many of his buildings, including the Flatiron Building,
followed the convention of the classical column: three distinct parts
made up of a base, a middle section, and an ornate cornice at the top.
Burnham’s early sketches for the
Flatiron Building included a clock
face and a far more elaborate
crown at the top of the building,
but he was persuaded to remove
both by his former partner John W.
Root. Although Burnham retained
overall control of the project,
he engaged the architect F. P.
Dinkelberg (1859–1935) to carry
out most of the supervising work
during the actual construction.
After the Flatiron Building, Burnham
would continue to work on a
series of impressive architectural
projects, including a number of
major planning tasks for the cities of San Francisco, Washington, D.C.,
and Manila in the Philippines. At the time of his death in 1912, his D. H.
Burnham & Co. architectural firm was the largest in the world.
Daniel Hudson Burnham (1846 – 1912)
© Per Tropp-Christiansen
© Wikipedia
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History
As the city of New York expanded northward during the second half of
the 19th century, small plots of land in between or on the edge of new
buildings remained undeveloped. One of the most well known of these
was the narrow triangular site at 23rd Street, between Fifth Avenue and
Broadway. The “Flat Iron,” as it quickly became known, changed owners
many times, but wouldn’t be developed until the Chicago-based Fuller
Company bought the site in 1901.
The Fuller Company, a major Chicago-based contracting firm
specializing in the construction of skyscrapers, planned to build a
new showcase headquarter on the site. The founder of the company,
George A. Fuller, had died the year before, and the new building would
be named the Fuller Building in his honor.
The Fuller Company engaged Chicago architect Daniel H. Burnham
to design the building and, utilizing the Fuller Company’s expertise
with steel frame construction, he proposed a 20-story structure that
would reach a height of 285 ft. (86.9 m). A penthouse would be added
in 1905, increasing the building’s height to 307 ft. (93 m). The building’s
Broadway front would be 190 ft. (60 m) wide, the Fifth Avenue
front 173 ft. (52.7 m) wide, and the
22nd Street side just short of 87 ft.
(26.5 m) wide. At the “point” of the
triangle the building would only be
6.5 ft. (2 m) wide and would form a
25-degree acute angle.
Burnham saw the building as a
vertical Renaissance palazzo with
Beaux-Arts, or neoclassical, styling.
Visually the building would be divided
into three distinct sections. It would
consist of a richly decorated, three-
story limestone façade at the bottom
and a broad, repetitive midsection in
a light tan monochrome terra-cotta.
The structure would then be topped
off with a crowning cornice that would
run the entire length of the building.
With its steel skeleton structure, the construction of the building was
carried out rapidly and without major incident. While other New York
skyscrapers at the time were often thin towers rising from pedestal-like
blocks, the Flatiron was a single massive structure. This radical design,
combined with its great height and unusual shape, created a great deal
of debate as the building neared completion in 1902.
Many New Yorkers believed the structure would be unstable and would
fall over at the first gust of wind. The building had even been nicknamed
“Burnham’s Folly” and bets were placed on how far the debris would
reach when it blew over. Strong winds came and went, and the Flatiron
Building withstood them—as it continues to do today, over a century
later. It is proof that the structure was not only a strong architectural
idea, but a groundbreaking engineering marvel as well.
© GettyImages
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As the city of New York expanded northward during the second half of
the 19th century, small plots of land in between or on the edge of new
buildings remained undeveloped. One of the most well known of these
was the narrow triangular site at 23rd Street, between Fifth Avenue and
Broadway. The “Flat Iron,” as it quickly became known, changed owners
many times, but wouldn’t be developed until the Chicago-based Fuller
The Fuller Company, a major Chicago-based contracting firm
specializing in the construction of skyscrapers, planned to build a
new showcase headquarters on the site. The founder of the company,
George A. Fuller, had died the year before, and the new building would
The Fuller Company engaged Chicago architect Daniel H. Burnham
to design the building and, utilizing the Fuller Company’s expertise
with steel frame construction, he proposed a 20-story structure that
would reach a height of 285 ft. (86.9 m). A penthouse would be added
in 1905, increasing the building’s height to 307 ft. (93 m). The building’s
Broadway front would be 190 ft. (60 m) wide, the Fifth Avenue
With its steel skeleton structure, the construction of the building was
carried out rapidly and without major incident. While other New York
skyscrapers at the time were often thin towers rising from pedestal-like
blocks, the Flatiron was a single massive structure. This radical design,
combined with its great height and unusual shape, created a great deal
of debate as the building neared completion in 1902.
Many New Yorkers believed the structure would be unstable and would
fall over at the first gust of wind. The building had even been nicknamed
“Burnham’s Folly” and bets were placed on how far the debris would
reach when it blew over. Strong winds came and went, and the Flatiron
Building withstood them—as it continues to do today, over a century
later. It is proof that the structure was not only a strong architectural
idea, but a groundbreaking engineering marvel as well.
© GettyImages
© GettyImages
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The Building Today
Although never the tallest building in New York, or even the first building
in the country with a triangular ground plan, the Flatiron Building
remains an iconic symbol of the city of New York. Its enduring popularity
with tourists, artists, and photographers also makes it one of the most
photographed buildings in the world.
The famous building has appeared in countless movies, TV series, and
comics. It was home to Peter Parker’s
movies, and was even accidently destroyed by the U.S. Army in the
1998 film
The building was designated a New York City Landmark in 1966, added
to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and became a National
Historic Landmark in 1989. Valued today at $190 million, the Flatiron
Building continues to function as a popular retail and office space,
and is home to a large number of U.S. and international companies. In
2009, Sorgente Group of America acquired the majority stake of the
Flatiron Building. Sorgente Group of America is the American Holding
of Sorgente Group, an Italian real estate investment company.
[ ... appeared to be moving toward me like the
bow of a monster ocean steamer—a picture
of a new America still in the making. ]
© Per Tropp-Christiansen
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The Building Today
Although never the tallest building in New York, or even the first building
in the country with a triangular ground plan, the Flatiron Building
remains an iconic symbol of the city of New York. Its enduring popularity
with tourists, artists, and photographers also makes it one of the most
photographed buildings in the world.
The famous building has appeared in countless movies, TV series, and
comics. It was home to Peter Parker’s Daily Bugle in the Spiderman
movies, and was even accidently destroyed by the U.S. Army in the
1998 film Godzilla.
The building was designated a New York City Landmark in 1966, added
to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and became a National
Historic Landmark in 1989. Valued today at $190 million, the Flatiron
Building continues to function as a popular retail and office space,
and is home to a large number of U.S. and international companies. In
2009, Sorgente Group of America acquired the majority stake of the
Flatiron Building. Sorgente Group of America is the American Holding
of Sorgente Group, an Italian real estate investment company.
[ ... appeared to be moving toward me like the
bow of a monster ocean steamer—a picture
of a new America still in the making. ]
PhotographerAlfredStieglitz
© Per Tropp-Christiansen
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Facts about Flatiron Building
Location: ........................................ New York City, USA
Architect:...................................... D. H. Burnham & Co: Daniel H. Burnham
Style: .............................................. Renaissance Revival with Beaux-Arts styling
Materials: .................................... Steel frame structure, façade of limestone and
terra-cotta
Height: .......................................... 1902: 285 ft. (86.9 m). Today: 307 ft. (93 m).
Weight: ......................................... 3,680 tons (3,338.5 metric tons)
Opened: ...................................... 1902
© Shutterstock
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LEGO.com/brickseparator
Renaissance Revival with Beaux-Arts styling
Steel frame structure, façade of limestone and
1902: 285 ft. (86.9 m). Today: 307 ft. (93 m).
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Due to the site’s resemblance
to a clothes iron it was
called the “Flat Iron” long
before the building itself
was constructed.
©Shutterstock
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