Flatiron Building marks its 100th anniversary in October.There is no Empire State district. The Chrysler Building Chrysler Building, in midtown Manhattan, New York City, at Lexington Ave. between 42d and 43d St. The ultimate art deco-style skyscraper, it was commissioned by Walter P. Chrysler, designed by William Van Alen, and built in 1926–30. has no eponymous e·pon·y·mous adj. Of, relating to, or constituting an eponym. [From Greek ep  numos; see eponym. quarter. Downtown, however, the Flatiron Building The Fuller Building or as it is better known, the Flatiron Building, is in the borough of Manhattan, and was one of the tallest buildings in New York City upon its completion in 1902. defines its own turf, and rightly so--it has stood at the confluence confluence /con·flu·ence/ (kon´floo-ins) 1. a running together; a meeting of streams.con´fluent 2. in embryology, the flowing of cells, a component process of gastrulation. of two busy streets for a century. The building loomed large when it was built, but since then other towers have outflanked it. So what. The Flatiron Building remains one of the city's most beloved skyscrapers. What it lacks in height it makes up for in age--the building turned 100 on Oct. 3. Since it was built, the Flatiron has stood by while the area surrounding it rose and fell with the decades. It was a pillar of strength during the days of decline when junkies controlled Madison Square Madison Square is a neighborhood on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan, centered on a 6.8 acre (2.75 Hectare) public park in the New York City borough of Manhattan, named for James Madison, fourth President of the United States and co-author of the United Park. There are still junkies, to be sure, but they come and go. The Flatiron remains, a stately presence off the southwestern corner of the park. The apex of the building is only six feet wide. Many people thought that the building--due to its odd shape--would fall over. It hasn't yet, though the wedge-shaped design creates powerful eddies that have been known to interfere with lady's skirts. On really windy days, the building seems to deflect de·flect intr. & tr.v. de·flect·ed, de·flect·ing, de·flects To turn aside or cause to turn aside; bend or deviate. [Latin d the wind off its sides, forcing pedestrians to lean into the gusts as they pass by. The Flatiron's original elevators were roped hydraulic operated by water pressure. They were extremely slow. When the building was completed in the early 20th century, people went to the top of the building where a restaurant served lunch and dinner. The elevators are now electrified, and it takes a fraction of the previous time to ride the elevators here. The building has always boasted low vacancy for both commercial and retail tenants. It is now 100 percent occupied. In 1996, James Kuhn, Barry Gosin and Jeffrey Gural bought a 52% stake in the building from Helmsely-Spear. Since then they have made improvements to the building. For Kuhn, it was a pivotal moment of sorts. "I used to work in the Metlife Tower, One Madison Avenue Madison Avenue, celebrated street of Manhattan, borough of New York City. It runs from Madison Square (23d St.) to the Madison Bridge over the Harlem River (138th St.). In the 1940s and 50s, some of the major U.S. . My office overlooked the Flatiron Building," said Kuhn, who is by his own admission "very fond" of the building. |
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