Why is the Flatiron Building famous?

Answer 1

If you mean, what is it used for: it is an office building, and was designed to be one.

If you mean, why was it built that way: it was built in a triangle shape because the block it is built on is shaped that way. This is because the street known as Broadway runs in a diagonal line north/south through the city. Because most of the rest of the city is designed on a square grid pattern, some of the rectangular-shaped blocks that Broadway intersects become two smaller triangle-shaped blocks.

Answer 2

It was one of New York City's first skyscrapers, and its shape is both distinctive and iconic.

It was built in a triangle shape because of Broadway. Except for Lower Manhattan, New York City is arranged on a square grid pattern. Broadway ruins this neat little grid pattern by running in a diagonal line north/south through practically all of Manhattan.

Since Broadway bisects some of the rectangular-shaped blocks diagonally, one large rectangular block becomes two smaller triangular blocks. There are more than a few of them dotted around the city, actually.

However, even though Broadway appears to cut diagonally through Manhattan, it actually runs in a straight, true north/south line up and down Manhattan and New York State.

Instead, it's Manhattan that's crooked. All of New York City is built on an eastward slant. Manhattan points northeast, not true north. Broadway starts out in Lower Manhattan and runs north all the way through Manhattan and then almost all the way up through New York State to Canada! It's not called Broadway the whole way, but it's the same street/road. It is the longest street in the world, actually.

So, the Flatiron Building became instantly famous, not just because it was one of the first skyscrapers, but because it was built in such an odd shape.

Over time, the image of the Flatiron Building became instantly recognizable to most people as a symbol of New York City, like the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and the now-fallen World Trade Center. It's become a quintessential part of the New York City landscape.

Answer 3

It was one of New York City's first skyscrapers, and its shape was (and still is) both distinctive and iconic.

It was built in a triangle shape because of Broadway. Except for Lower Manhattan, New York City is arranged on a square grid pattern. Broadway ruins this neat little grid pattern by running in a diagonal line north/south through practically all of Manhattan.

Since Broadway bisects some of the rectangular-shaped blocks diagonally, one large rectangular block becomes two smaller triangular blocks. There are more than a few of them dotted around the city, actually.

However, even though Broadway appears to cut diagonally through Manhattan, it actually runs in a straight, true north/south line up and down Manhattan and New York State. Instead, it's Manhattan that's crooked.

So, the Flatiron Building became instantly famous, not just because it was one of the first skyscrapers, but because it was built in such an odd shape.

Over time, the image of the Flatiron Building became instantly recognizable to most people as a symbol of New York City, like the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and the now-fallen World Trade Center. It's become a quintessential part of the New York cityscape.

Answer 4

The Flatiron Building was originally constructed for commercial use. Its earliest tenants included a publisher, an insurance company, the Imperial Russian Consulate and the Bohemian Guides Society.