Flatiron District
The Flatiron District is a small neighborhood in the Manhattan borough that takes its name from the Flatiron Building , which is located at the intersection of Broadway , Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street .
Position and extent
The Flatiron District is bordered to the south by 20th Street , Union Square and Greenwich Village , to the west by Sixth Avenue and Chelsea , to the north by NoMad and 25th Street , to the northeast by Rose Hill and to the east by Lexington Avenue / Irving Place , Gramercy Park and the Gramercy neighborhood .
The Broadway crosses the Flatiron District, the Madison Avenue starts at the 23rd Street and extends to the north. At the northern end of the neighborhood is Madison Square Park , which was completely redeveloped in 2001.
There are two major national monuments within the Flatiron District: The Ladies' Mile Historic District and the birthplace of US President Theodore Roosevelt .
History and naming
The Flatiron District only got its current name in 1985, when the district increasingly assumed the character of a residential area and more and more restaurants settled in this area. Even broker wanted a more attractive name for this corner of Manhattan, to be able to better communicate to the emerging apartments.
This quarter was previously characterized by commerce. On the one hand, it was known as the “Photo District” because many photographers had their studios here due to the low rents and related branches of business could be found here. Another part of the area was called the "Toy District" because of the toy manufacturers in the Toy Center Buildings around 23rd Street and Broadway and because of the Toy Fair that has been held here since 1903 (except 1945).
After the millennium, many publishers have moved their offices in this area - as well as advertising agencies and numerous computer - and Internet - Start-Up undertakings incinerating or so it now serves the area as part of the so-called "Silicon Alley" or "Multimedia Gulch" - next Tribeca and SoHo .
building
Important buildings are the Flatiron Building , one of the oldest skyscrapers in New York. In the immediate vicinity is the Met Life Tower , which was built in 1909 and was the tallest building in the world until the completion of the Woolworth Building in 1913. On Madison Avenue between 26th Street and 27th Street is the New York Life Building , designed by Cass Gilbert and built in 1928 - with a square tower on top of which is a prominent, gold-plated pyramid.