Catanduanes State University

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

SY: 2019-2020

CIVIL ENGINEERING ORIENTATION

FLATIRON BUILDING

Introduction

According to Williams (2008), The Flatiron Building is one of the city’s most famous,

recognized not for its height, but for its triangular, or “flatiron,” shape. A flatiron was an early term

used to describe the common, wedge-shaped laundry iron.

Completed in 1902, it was located on a triangular island block at 175 Fifth Ave. in

Manhattan, which dictated the building’s shape. It was originally called the Fuller Building, after

George A. Fuller, the founder of the company that financed its construction.
 Fuller is credited with developing the skyscraper design by using a steel skeleton, or

frame, to support a building’s weight. The first such structure was the Tacoma Building in Chicago.

Built in 1889, it was the first edifice built in which the stone outside walls did not bear the weight

of the building. At the time that the Flatiron Building was built, it was one of the city’s tallest, at 22

stories, or 285 feet. It could be seen from Central Park. The area surrounding the building is called

the Flatiron District in honor of the signature structure. The Flatiron Building was designed by

Chicago’s Daniel Burnham in the Beaux-Arts style. Its limestone and terra cotta facade is

separated into three horizontal parts. That design was influenced by architectural trends that were

first introduced at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago by Burnham.

As with anything new, there were concerns about the building as it was being constructed.

It was nicknamed Burnham’s Folly. It’s said that the building created strange winds that caused

women’s skirts to blow up as they walked around 23rd Street. Police would yell at the gawkers,

“23 skidoo” to get them to leave. The phrase is not really used anymore, but its descendent is the

word “scram.” Once the building was completed, New York had a new jewel in its skyline.

As you might expect from the building’s exterior shape, the offices inside have walls that

cut through at an angle leading to the famous point. Windows in this section offer the best seats

in the house, as they face north and look out directly at the Empire State Building. Like that more

famous skyscraper, the Flatiron Building has been featured in commercial and documentaries

and was featured as the Daily Bugle Building in the popular “Spider-Man” movies.

The building probably featured on more postcards than any other building of its time. The

whole area, the Flatiron district, was even named after the building. Originally the Flatiron Building

featured an observation deck on the top floor, but taller buildings have taken over this function. It

is still, however, a popular tourist attraction, and one of the most photographed landmarks in New

York. Built as the headquarters of the Fuller Construction company, the skyscraper was meant to

be named Fuller Building. But locals soon dubbed it 'Flatiron' after its unusual shape, caused by

the triangular plot. Even though the plot is a right triangle while a clothing iron is an isosceles
triangle, the name stuck and the building was officially renamed Flatiron Building. In 1929 the

Fuller Company built another, much taller Fuller Building at 57th Street and Madison Avenue. The

Flatiron Building was given another nickname: "Burnham's Folly". Many people at the time thought

Daniel Burnham's triangular design combined with the building's exceptional height would not

withstand strong winds. Some were even speculating how far the building's debris would spread

after falling over. But Burnham was an experienced architect who knew what he was doing and

his skyscraper withstood the test of time. The wind did however have an effect on the area around

the building. The so-called downdraught effect causes the wind to increase in speed at the foot

of the Flatiron. At the time building became known as the site where gusts of wind often lifted

women's skirts, exposing their ankles, much to the delight of young men.

Problems Encountered

 A Revolution in Architecture: Prior to its construction, not only was a building of the

Flatiron’s shape a curiosity, it was also illegal. Anyone who wished to fill the triangle of

land on which the building now stands would have to have used masonry, rather than steel

for the internal skeleton. This restriction was in place to prevent structural fires from going

out of control but it also limited how high you could build. With great bedrock comes great

opportunity, and so New York did away with those pesky rules and paved the way for

progressively higher and higher buildings. The Flatiron was one of the first buildings to

pave the way to our iconic skyline.

 Chicago School: The Flatiron Building is over 100 years old, having been erected way

back in 1902. You may have noticed that many of NYC’s classic buildings of the time

favored a lower, blocker appearance, similar to that of the Singer Building. Prior to the

advent of true skyscrapers, those kinds of designs were the New York style, and the

Flatiron Building was among the first to break from form. An expert in architecture would

tell you that the Flatiron Building is a vertical Renaissance palazzo with Beaux-Arts styling.
 To old-timey New Yorkers this meant that the Flatiron looked like madness. Looked like it

was about to topple over at any second. Looked like something that belonged in a different

town--Chicago specifically.

 Design Disagreements: Daniel Burnham was responsible for the initial design of the

building, but a number of contributors joined the team after construction began, including

Burnham’s design partner Frederick P. Dinkelberg. As construction progressed, a number

of changes were introduced that considerably changed the look and feel of the building.

Many of these changes were motivated by Harry Black, one of the buildings most

important future tenants. Black insisted that a ‘cowcatcher’ retail space be added to the

base of the building, despite protests from Burnham and Dinkelberg that this would ruin

the aesthetic of the design. There was also originally supposed to be a magnificent clock

face at the apex of the building, but this idea was discarded when they decided to turn the

top floor into a penthouse.

 Not To Everyone’s Taste: Most New Yorkers simply love the classic design of the Flatiron

Building, and it made quite a stir when it was first released. To a person on the street, this

building was a one-of-a-kind marvel that was a treat to see. However, many cultural elites

of the time didn’t see it that way, and a few even considered it to be a loathsome blight in

the New York Grid. Montgomery Schuyler, editor of the esteemed Architectural Record

and man about town, described the building as “awkward” and went on at length about

how awkward it looked, but brought himself to praise the terra-cotta work on the surface

exterior of the building. Sculptor William Ordway Partridge went further with his criticisms

proclaiming the Flatiron to be "a disgrace to our city, an outrage to our sense of the artistic,

and a menace to life". In the end, the Flatiron Building stood the test of time, and became

a true icon. Montgomery and Ordway war scarcely remembered, mere footnotes in NYC

history.
  When the Flatiron Building first opened, female tenants were at a disadvantage, as the

building’s designers had failed to include any ladies’ restrooms. Management had to

designate bathrooms for men and women on alternating floors.

 The characteristic of the Flatiron Building’s design–its look of a freestanding tower–initially

inspired widespread skepticism about whether it would actually be stable enough to

survive. Some early critics referred to “Burnham’s Folly,” claiming that the combination of

triangular shape and height would cause the building to fall down. Newspaper reports at

the time of the building’s completion focused on the potentially dangerous wind-tunnel

effect created by the triangular building at the intersection of two big streets.

What makes the project unique or different?

 The triangular shape of the building is not unique. The first flatiron building was the

Gooderham Building in Toronto, built in 1892. The second one was built in Atlanta in 1897.

But both are smaller than their New York counterpart. No trip to New York City is complete

without a look at this interesting building, which was declared a National Historic Landmark

in 1989. It is the city’s oldest surviving skyscraper.

 The original elevators in the Flatiron Building were Otis water hydraulic elevators, powered

by pressure, and subject to both extremely slow travel times and regular flooding. (See

Figure 1 on Appendix)

 The penthouse on 21st floor of the building was added to The Flatiron Building three years

after it was completed. The top floor is set back about eight feet and sits like a cap behind

the ring of balustrades that would have originally topped the building. This top floor can

only be accessed via a separate second elevator from the 20th floor, which sits above the

elevators that reach the 19th floor. (See Figure 2 on Appendix)

 The roof is mostly filled with mechanical equipment and cables. There is a skylight on the

roof letting light down to the floor below, one of a series of many other skylights that used

to exist. When the Flatiron Building was built, it would have been the tallest building around

and you would be able to see Central Park easily from the higher offices. Today, the

Flatiron Building still sits higher than a lot of other buildings surrounding it, making it one

of the more notable rooftops we’ve visited in the city. (See Figure 3 on Appendix)

 Some of the films that have been filmed on the rooftop and in the Flatiron Building include

Spiderman (with Tobey Maguire), Godzilla, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, and Smash.

 Tavern in the Basement. The first basement level of the Flatiron Building contains not only

Sonny’s office, but also many remnants from a previous era. The basement levels actually

extend beyond the footprint of the building and go under the road itself. This first basement

level was once the Tavern Louis, which was in operation when the building opened, and

was later a speakeasy. Sonny says that Irving Berlin even came here, and brought a

notable jazz band from the Cotton Club in Harlem to perform. Sonny says 1,500 people

used to come to the tavern to imbibe, eat, and be entertained, and they could access the

restaurant and bar directly from a staircase on the street. (See Figure 4 on Appendix)

 On the floor, you can still see the brick outline of where that staircase ended. One of the

originally wood-framed mirrors on the columns is actually in a closet within Sonny’s office

tucked between a filing cabinet and shelving.

 In the cleaning closet, you can see the remnants of the men’s bathroom with marble stalls

and wooden water tanks. An elaborate doorknob, that Sonny believes dates to 1899 based

on the patent, is still attached to the door of the closet.

 When elevators were manually operated, you could misjudge and crash while heading

down, causing the two ball-like pieces to open up and get stuck in the wall, which has to

be manually released at the top of the elevator shaft. (See Figure 5 on Appendix)
  The three original 1903 coal-fed boilers are also still in place next to a far smaller more

modern boiler three levels down. Coal was stored in storage units that have been cinder

blocked up. There used to be an elevator that would transport the coal down from street

level, and behind a door in the wall you can still see up that shaft to the sidewalk and sky.

(See Figure 6 on Appendix)

 There’s a Balcony Office in the Flatiron Building. The light-filled office is replete with a

curved balcony looking north onto Madison Square Park. Here, you can get up close to

the building’s exterior details with two large Corinthian columns and the top of a terra

cotta medallion visible. The office is decorated by art by Sargent’s mother, and the prints

actually appeared in the film Mr. Popper’s Penguins, which used the building and office

as a filming location. (See Figure 7 on Appendix)

 The handrails are made of wood but the posts and bannisters are made of cast iron and

filled with decorative details. According to Adham, to do this today would cost millions and

millions of dollars. (See Figure 8 on Appendix)

 Each Floor of the Flatiron Building has really high ceiling heights. Another way to sense

the ceiling heights is to compare the Flatiron Building to the building right across

Broadway, which has roughly the same total height as the Flatiron Building about only 30

floors.

 Flatiron Building has relatively small core due to its unique shape. This means, says

Sunny, just about anywhere someone sits, “a) They have a window and b) they have a

view.” Some of the windows are actually curved, which certainly makes sense with the

shape of the building.

Methodologies
 Completed in 1902 by Daniel Burnham, the Flatiron Building was a prime architectural

design at the advent of steel skyscraper construction in the United States. Known for its

triangular design at the intersection of 5th Ave. and Broadway, the Flatiron Buildings iconic

presence has transformed an entire area of Manhattan into the Flatiron District.

 Manhattan has been and always will be synonymous with the overarching imposition of

the grid system that defines the entire city, but each block as part of a larger collective

system. With histories of Dutch and English influence, the Commissioners’ Grid System

imposed in 1811 has moments of discontinuity where streets such as Canal and Broadway

cut across the grid to form residual spaces that are typically too small or difficult to develop.

 The land of that the Flatiron Building now stands upon went through many hands before

it became what we see today. Often underdeveloped and in a purgatorial state shifting

between owners until it was purchased by Harry S. Black, CEO of the Fuller Company a

construction firm specializing in steel and skyscraper construction for the headquarters of

the Fuller Company. Thereafter, Black commissioned Chicago architect Daniel Burnham

to design the Fuller Building later changed to the Flatiron Building due to historical site

references.

 The Beaux-Arts styling and detailing give the steel scraper a touch of architectural

precedent found Europe at the time. The building is clad in limestone and glazed terra

cotta, which amplifies the heavy, yet rich aesthetic.

 One of the most interesting aspects of the Flatiron Building is that its design accentuates

the triangular site, which is due to its acute angel at 5th and Broadway that creates the

cornered condition; the northern vertex of the building is only 6.5 feet wide. Its narrow

profile creates an interesting spatial configuration within the building where slanting walls

accommodate for the narrow corner offices that open up to panoramic views of Midtown

Manhattan.
  During construction, New Yorker’s believed that the Flatiron’s steel frame would not stand

up to the strong winds Manhattan faced. Despite their initial conceptions, the buildings

structure was design to accommodate four times the typical wind loads in order to stabilize

and retain the buildings iconic triangular shape.

 For over 100 years, the Flatiron Building has been an architectural icon and an

international tourist attraction. Even though, it is still a private office building does not

detract from the wonder and amazement that it stirs up upon seeing if for the first time.

 Since its construction, the Flatiron Building has been designated by New York City, as well

as the United States as a historical landmark.

 With an estimated price tag of $190 million, the Flatiron Building holds far greater worth to

its fellow New Yorkers and tourists due to its history and symbolic importance to the history

of the city.

 It is only 22 stories high, 307 feet high & at its vertex, it is ONLY 6.5 feet wide (2m).

 The Flatiron now it often is seen as a well-designed FENG SHUI CURE for the energy

caused by the traffic in this area of the city, dispersing the flow of massive amounts of

traffic/energy into a well divided and more manageable paths. And its unique BEAUTY

has withstood the test of time, still being one of the most photographed buildings in New

York City.

Findings

 Once the foundation was set during construction, the floors went up at a rate of one floor

per week. And once the steel frame was done, it only took four months to finish the

building, which was completed in June 1902, with the building opening in November that

year.

 New Yorkers were relatively unfamiliar with steel cage construction when the Flatiron was

built.
  The thinness of the building also added to the public’s trepidation, and there was a fear

that the building could topple over.

 Sonny recounts RCN’s experience trying to bring cable into the building. They started with

a 14-foot bit, drilling from the outside of the foundation, followed by 16-foot bit, but it never

broke through. Finally, a 20-foot bit made it through and the RCN engineer said it was the

widest foundation he had ever seen on a building.

 Although architectural critics were clearly horrified by the design, the public almost

instantly fell in love – along with the modern artists and photographers of the time.

 Architectural Record thought it was awkward, and criticized the large number of windows.

 The New York Times called it a “monstrosity,” The New York Tribune describing it as a

“stingy piece of pie,” the Municipal Journal & Public Works called it “New York’s latest

freak in the shape of sky scrapers” and the Municipal Art Society went as far to say it was

“unfit to be in the Center of the City.”

Recommendations

 In addition to the vertical force of gravity, skyscrapers also have to deal with the horizontal

force of wind. Most skyscrapers like Flatiron Building can easily move several feet in either

direction, like a swaying tree, without damaging their structural integrity. The main problem

with this horizontal movement is how it affects the people inside. If the building moves a

substantial horizontal distance, the occupants will definitely feel it.

 The most basic method for controlling horizontal sway is to simply tighten up the structure.

At the point where the horizontal girders attach to the vertical column, the construction

crew bolts and welds them on the top and bottom, as well as the side. This makes the

entire steel super structure move more as one unit, like a pole, as opposed to a flexible

skeleton.
  For taller skyscrapers, tighter connections don't really do the trick. To keep these buildings

from swaying heavily, engineers have to construct especially strong cores through the

center of the building. In the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and other

skyscrapers from that era, the area around the central elevator shafts is fortified by a

sturdy steel truss, braced with diagonal beams. Most recent buildings have one or more

concrete cores built into the center of the building.

 Making buildings more rigid also braces them against earthquake damage. Basically, the

entire building moves with the horizontal vibrations of the earth, so the steel skeleton isn't

twisted and strained. While this helps protect the structure of the skyscraper, it can be

pretty rough on the occupants, and it can also cause a lot of damage to loose furniture

and equipment. Several companies are developing new technology that will counteract

the horizontal movement to dampen the force of vibration.

 Some buildings already use advanced wind-compensating dampers. The Citicorp Center

in New York, for example, uses a tuned mass damper. In this complex system, oil hydraulic

systems push a 400-ton concrete weight back and forth on one of the top floors, shifting

the weight of the entire building from side to side. A sophisticated computer system

carefully monitors how the wind is shifting the building and moves the weight accordingly.

Some similar systems shift the building's weight based on the movement of giant

pendulums.

References:

Young, M. (2018, September 24). The Top 10 Secrets of the Flatiron Building Retrieved from

https://untappedcities.com/2018/09/24/the-top-10-secrets-of-the-flatiron-building/14/

A view on cities. (2019). Flatiron Building. Retrieved from

https://www.aviewoncities.com/nyc/flatiron.htm
Williams, J.K. (2008, June 17). The Flatiron Building. Retrieved from

https://nypost.com/2008/06/17/the-flatiron-building/

Lee, A. (2019). The Flatiron Building. Retrieved from http://www.sleewright.com/the-flatiron-

building/

McKenzie, S. (2019). The Flatiron Building-New York City. Retrieved from

https://amateurtraveler.com/the-flatiron-building-new-york-city/

Burnham, D. (2019). Classics-Flatiron Building. Retrieved from

https://www.archdaily.com/109134/ad-classics-flatiron-building-daniel-burnham