New York City's iconic Flatiron Building, the triangular architectural marvel that has dominated Manhattan's skyline for over a century, is undergoing a dramatic transformation from commercial space to ultra-luxury residential apartments. The historic 22-story structure, famous for its distinctive wedge shape and immortalized by renowned photographers Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Steichen, now offers 38 exclusive apartments with prices reaching up to $50 million for full-floor units.
The building's conversion represents a significant shift in Manhattan's real estate landscape, as many of the city's most characteristic structures, including the Woolworth Building and One Wall Street, succumb to residential development. Photography critic Edwin Heathcote recently gained exclusive access to the construction site, revealing how the slim, pie-shaped floor plan creates extraordinary living spaces with panoramic views and abundant natural light - a stark contrast to modern towers with their large floor plates and dark centers.
Designed originally by Chicago architect Daniel Burnham, the Flatiron Building opened as headquarters for the Fuller Construction Company and quickly became a symbol of America's emerging modernity. The structure's unique triangular shape results from its location at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway, where the diagonal Broadway - originally a Native American trail - creates the building's famous narrow prow. As architect Robert A.M. Stern notes, the building defines "the pivot between Downtown and Uptown Manhattan" and remains virtually unchanged from its appearance over a century ago.
The building's cultural significance extends far beyond architecture. In 1903, photographer Alfred Stieglitz captured the structure emerging from snow, describing it as moving "like the bow of a monster ocean steamer, a picture of the new America which was in the making." A year later, Edward Steichen photographed the building in a moody, atmospheric image that eventually sold for $11.84 million at Christie's in 2022, becoming the second most expensive photograph ever sold.
Interior designer William Sofield of Studio Sofield, whose clients include Tom Ford, Madonna, and Mary-Kate Olsen, is overseeing the building's residential transformation. The project required extensive restoration work to remove decades of commercial modifications, including dropped ceilings and strip lighting that had created "a warren of small rooms." Sofield's team has painstakingly restored original architectural details, recycling elements like balustrades as washbasin legs and creating hand-clipped mosaic floors with apartment numbers at each threshold.
The conversion process has proven both challenging and rewarding for developers The Brodsky Organization. Managing partner Daniel Brodsky acknowledges the complexity of working with a landmark building, explaining that "every design decision needs Landmarks to approve it" and that architects Beyer Blinder Belle worked for two years just obtaining approvals. However, he emphasizes the unique character that results from such careful preservation efforts.
Historically, the Flatiron Building served as more than just office space - it was a vibrant social hub that reflected changing American attitudes. The basement once housed a 1,500-seat restaurant, one of the city's first bars to welcome unaccompanied women, and from 1911, the first jazz venue outside Harlem to allow Black musicians to perform. The building also welcomed gay patrons at establishments like Taverne Louis, making it a progressive social space until Prohibition ended the revelry.
The surrounding neighborhood has undergone dramatic transformation since the building's construction during the height of the Ladies Mile shopping district. By the 1980s, the area had deteriorated into what sociologist Sharon Zukin describes as "totally debased," featuring homeless shelters and wig stores. However, it became one of the city's first loft living neighborhoods and later evolved into a tech district before emerging as one of Manhattan's most desirable residential areas.
The apartments themselves showcase the building's unique architectural advantages, with some units tapering to almost nothing at the famous prow while others feature small round balconies that promise to become "some of the most sought-after and intimate spaces in the city." The slim floor plan ensures that every unit has multiple windows and spectacular views, including vistas of Madison Square Park that provide unexpected greenery in the urban landscape.
Pricing reflects the building's extraordinary status and location, with a three-bedroom apartment available for just under the price of Steichen's record-breaking photograph. Two full-floor apartments are priced around $50 million each, targeting what Brodsky describes as "wealthy people who want to be in a convenient place" surrounded by "the best restaurants in the city" and excellent transportation. The transformation represents not just a real estate development but the preservation of an architectural icon that Alfred Stieglitz once declared was "to America what the Parthenon is to Greece."
