FLATIRON BUILDING

Work done by María González 3^rdC-ESO

Author:

Daniel H. Burnham was born in New York in 1848 and is regarded as one of the greatest American architects, a father of the skyscraper and one of the most influential minds behind early 20th century architecture.

Burnham moved with his family to Chicago in 1855 and graduated from Central High School. After failing entrance exams to Harvard and Yale, he became a draftsman for William Le Baron Jenney, but soon left for Nevada, where he took part in mining and politics. He returned to Chicago in 1870, joined the office of Carter, Drake & Wight in 1872, and started an architectural practice with John Root in 1873, which would grow to national prominence (Burnham & Root; renamed D.H. Burnham & Company in 1891).

His major works are the Union Station (Washington DC), the Reliance Building (Chicago) and the Flatiron Building (New York).

Period:

In 1899 Harry S. Black purchased the plot to build a headquarters for his prosperous contracting firm and he chose Daniel Burnham as architect. 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.

Style:

The Flatiron Building was designed as a vertical Renaissance palazzo with Beaux-Arts styling.

Unlike New York's early skyscrapers, which took the form of towers emerging from heavy, block-like bases, the Flatiron Building represents the Chicago school conception: it is like a classical Greek column rising directly from street level and with a facade divided into a base, a central shaft and an elaborate capital.

Location:

It is located in 175 Fifth Avenue in the neighbourhood of Manhattan, New York City.

Function:

It was built as the headquarters of the Fuller Construction company but now it is a popular retail and office space and is home to many U.S. and international companies.

Materials:

It employed a revolutionary steel skeleton, which was incredibly strong and allowed for thin, graceful walls. The Flatiron Building is fronted with limestone at the bottom changing to glazed terra-cotta as the floors rise

Shape:

It is known for its triangular prism-shape. The building name derives from its resemblance to a cast-iron clothes iron.

My opinion:

I think it is a very original building and it is different from most of the skyscrapers. Although it looks like a bit extravagant because it has a strange shape it is at the same time elegant and well-balanced.