11 Iconic Flatiron Buildings Across the U.S.

The flatiron building is a structure with a distinctive triangular shape that resembles, as its name suggests, a clothes iron. It was popularized by American architect Daniel Burnham, who designed the blueprints for New York City’s iconic Fuller Building (now known as the Flatiron Building), erected in 1902 at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway in Manhattan. Today, there are thousands of flatiron buildings around the globe, but some are pillars of unparalleled architectural beauty. Here are 11 of the most riveting structures you can see standing on narrow, wedge-shaped plots of land across America. 

Boxer Hotel – Boston, Massachusetts

Downtown Boston’s Flatiron Building dates back to 1904, two years before New York City’s famous Flatiron Building debuted. Today, the Boston Flatiron Building houses the Boxer Hotel, a boutique four-star property nestled between Boston’s historic North End and Beacon Hill neighborhoods. The art deco-style building, which now features 80 suites within its storied brick walls, was originally commissioned by Harvard Law alum Charles Pelham Curtis III and designed by architect Stephen Codman. In 2000, the historic building was renovated and expanded with an additional three stories atop the original six floors of this iconic Boston landmark.

Columbus Tower – San Francisco, California

With an oxidized copper and white tile exterior, Columbus Tower in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood has an unusual blue-green color that makes it easy to spot from several blocks away. Construction on the flatiron building (also known as the Sentinel Building) began before the infamous earthquake that hit the city on April 18, 1906, but luckily, the structure survived, and it was completed in 1907. 

Today, Columbus Tower houses filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola’s Zoetrope studio and an Italian restaurant called Cafe Zoetrope. Before that, it hosted a political headquarters, a nightclub, and even the office of the Kingston Trio, a folk group popular in the 1950s and ’60s. 

Times Square Building – Seattle, Washington

Formerly housing the offices of The Seattle Times, the Times Square Building is one of Seattle’s most stunning landmark buildings. Exhibiting elements of the Italian Renaissance style and a flatiron silhouette, it was completed in 1916. Paris-trained architect Carl Gould — who also designed the University of Washington’s Suzzallo Library and the Seattle Asian Art Museum — designed the five-story structure. Today, the Times Square Building houses private offices as well as conference rooms and shared workspaces. 

Morris B. Sachs Building – Chicago, Illinois

The Morris B. Sachs Building, aka the Hairpin Lofts, is a six-story triangular building in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood. It was commissioned in 1930 by Sol Goldberg, who made his fortune by adding a distinctive U-shaped “hump” to the common hairpin in 1915. The mixed-use structure, which went by the nickname Hairpin Lofts or the Hump Building, once housed offices and stores, but it later became neglected and sat vacant for nearly two decades. 

Restoration on the iconic exterior began in 2009, and today the famous flatiron is LEED-certified for its use of eco-friendly materials. Restored to its former glory, it features original marble and terrazzo flooring, art deco signage, elevator medallions, and glass tile throughout. The building houses residences on the upper four floors, as well as the Hairpin Arts Center.

H.H. Hay Building – Portland, Maine

Hailed as “Portland’s Flatiron,” the Federal-style triangular building is a prominent symbol of Portland’s past. One of the port’s oldest structures, erected in 1826, the Hay Building once housed H.H. Hay Apothecary, which dispensed flavored syrups for drinks and medicines and exported them around the world during the 19th century. The 9,000-square-foot building was restored in 1980 and sold for $1.14 million in 2020; it now houses an art gallery. 

Flatiron Building – Atlanta, Georgia

Completed in 1897, Atlanta’s Flatiron Building is the oldest standing steel-framed skyscraper in the city. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the slender structure was the work of architect Bradford Gilbert, who also designed the first skyscraper in New York City, the Tower Building, in 1889). The 11-story Flatiron Building has been part of Atlanta’s skyline for more than 125 years and is currently used for offices and conference rooms. 

Flood Building – San Francisco, California

San Francisco is home to several dozen flatiron buildings, but one of the most impressive is the Flood Building, located beside the historic Powell Street Cable Car. Standing 12 stories tall, it was built in 1904 as the city’s largest building at the time. It survived the devastating 1906 earthquake as well as financial crises later in the century. 

Exhibiting a Baroque Revival style, the structure features a gray sandstone façade and soft, rounded corners. It was once the home of the Southern Pacific Railroad, Woolworth’s department store, and medical practices, but the famous landmark now houses retail stores as well as nonprofits and professional service firms.

Medical Arts Building – San Antonio, Texas

With a reputation as one of America’s most haunted hotels, the five-star Emily Morgan Hotel by Hilton occupies a magnificent flatiron building overlooking the Alamo in San Antonio. Before the hotel opened, it was known as the Medical Arts Building since it was designed to house doctors’ offices and a hospital. 

The 13-story, Neo-Gothic-style building was constructed in 1926 and features ornate detailing, including gargoyles with ailments such as toothaches. The building is the subject of many legends and ghost stories connected to the Alamo’s turbulent past, while the hotel is named for Emily D. West, a free Black woman who became a folk heroine of the Texas Revolution. 

Turk’s Head Building – Providence, Rhode Island

In 1913, this 16-story office high-rise surpassed the Union Trust Company Building to become the tallest building in Providence. Although the Turk’s Head Building no longer holds that title (it lost to the Providence Biltmore in 1922), the famous flatiron building is still one of the Rhode Island capital’s most treasured landmarks, named for the stern-faced stone effigy of an Ottoman donning a turban on its front. The “Turk’s head” was originally made of wood from a 19th-century ship called the Sultan, but the wooden head weathered away with time. It became so beloved that a stone one was permanently affixed in its place. 

Flatiron Flats – Eureka Springs, Arkansas

The Flatiron Flats building is located in the small city of Eureka Springs, nestled in the Ozarks. While it isn’t as tall as some of the other iconic flatiron buildings on this list, the quaint four-room hotel makes quite an impression downtown. One of the most photographed structures in the state, the original flatiron building was erected in 1880, but it was destroyed by a fire in 1890 and then another fire in 1925. The current flatiron went up in 1987 as a replica of the original, allowing the Arkansas community to retain a piece of its historic charm. 

Flatiron Building – New York, New York

Lastly, there’s no flatiron building more iconic than the one designed by architect Daniel Burnham. New York City’s impressive 22-story structure is one of the Big Apple’s most beloved landmarks and a symbol of its bold and innovative spirit. 

The structure was one of the first skyscrapers in the world to use a steel frame, paving the way for future high-rises. It was also one of the world’s tallest buildings when it was erected in 1902. Its stunning limestone cornices and decorative moldings add to its brilliant use of beaux arts style. After publishing house Macmillan left in 2019, the Flatiron Building began receiving a massive restoration, currently slated to be finished in 2026.