Car Rental New York and the Flatiron Building

The New York skyline is undoubtedly one of the most recognized in the world and it is the uniqueness of skyscrapers such as the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building that have contributed to this. Probably most unique and identifiable however is the Flatiron Building. Whether you have seen it in person, or in a movie, you are sure to spot this structure right away from its triangular characteristics.

Flatiron's Origins

The Flatiron Building was erected in 1902 and became an instant landmark for New York. It is widely believed that this distinctive 22 story steel-framed building is New York's first skyscraper. It was designed by Daniel Burnham and John Wellborn who had situated the building on a small triangular plot of land then occupied by an 8-story building. The original named the building was the Fuller Building, after the construction company that built it. However, because of its resemblance to a flatiron, a new name had stuck. For all the car rental New York movie buffs out there, you will undoubtedly recognize the Flatiron as the location for the newspaper office of The Daily Bugle in the "Spiderman" movies!

The Building's Aesthetics

Due to the era the Flatiron Building was erected, the details that it was made with are rare to see in today's structures. For instance, if you look closely when you take your car rental New York, you will notice it's classical Greek-like column, its limestone and glazed terra-cotta façade is separated into three parts horizontally. The French and Italian Renaissance facade of the building are adorned with an ornate facade of stone Medusa heads and terra cotta flowers. Since it was one of the first buildings to use a steel skeleton, the building could only be constructed to 285 feet, which would have been very difficult with other construction methods of that time.

Attention Photographers!

The Flatiron Building is a must see car rental New York destination for photographers

This building is one of the city's most-photographed architectural wonders and it is easy to see why! So, don't forget to bring along your camera during your car rental New York trip and snap some artistic shots of this architectural masterpiece.

Fact or Fiction?

An interesting story that developed about the Flatiron building was that its unique shape created an unusual current, or whirlpool of wind that would cause ladies' skirts to fly up as they wound the corner of 23rd Street, revealing a glimpse of ankle. Young men gathered to watch this shocking spectacle and then tell their friends about it. Police would try to disperse them by yelling "23 skidoo!" an early antecedent to "Scram!" Is this story fact or fiction? You'll have to check it out for yourself during your car rental New York stay.

The Flatiron Building is located at 175 5th Ave., bordered by E. 22nd and E. 23rd Sts., 5th Ave., and Broadway, New York, NY. Today, the building is occupied by publishing houses and stores. You can visit the lobby during your car rental New York visit to look at photos but otherwise the building is best enjoyed from Madison Square, across the street.

Check out the Brooklyn car rental All Car Rent a Car location at 610 Warren St., Brooklyn, NY 11217