The Flatiron Building of Atlanta Georgia
Everyone who drives through Atlanta on interstate-85 will wind through the city passing by a multitude of skyscrapers. Coming south from the north, you will pass the iconic Olympic torch, the Varsity, the Bank of America plaza (the “Pencil building”), the W, and the Westin, among others. Atlanta is ever-growing as cranes are scattered throughout the city, adding more lines and structure to the skyline. But if you drive off the highway and head deeper into the city to find the Fairlie-Poplar Historic District, you can get a glimpse of the elders amongst the giants.
The Fairlie-Poplar Historic District is an historic district of Atlanta that contains many of Atlanta’s oldest commercial and office buildings that are still in use today. Directly northeast of Atlanta’s well-known Five Points, the Fairlie-Poplar Historic District has buildings that were built from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. One building in the district stands out amongst the rest. On the corner of Peachtree Street NW, Poplar Street NW, and Broad Street NW sits an eleven-story building that catches the wandering gaze of university students, tourists, business people, and locals alike. The Flatiron building was built across what is now Woodruff park in 1897, the date that is carved over the main Peachtree Street entrance.[1] When it was erected the Flatiron building was the tallest skyscraper in Atlanta.[2] Today its younger neighbors dwarf it, yet it is crowned as the oldest building in Atlanta.
When most people hear the name Flatiron building, they immediately imagine the iconic 22-story skyscraper in New York City. However another architect, Daniel Burnham and Company, built the Flatiron building in Atlanta four years before its New York look-alike.[3] It is said that the Atlanta skyscraper was the first flatiron building in the United States.[4]
The name Flatiron derives from the building’s prominent flatiron shape, which also helps it stand out amongst the other buildings around it that has surpassed it in height as Atlanta continued to grow. The Flatiron building was designed by well-known 19th century New York architect Bradford Gilbert and it was built for the English-American Loan and Trust Company. Gilbert and other designers, such as Lorenzo Wheeler who built the Kimball House Hotel in 1884 and Burnham and Root of Chicago who built the Equitable building in 1891, were brought down to meet the demand of the growing urban areas.[5]
It was built in the heart of Atlanta’s previous commercial district with a full steel skeleton and electric elevators, providing elegant offices and spaces for all kinds of businesses within the skyscraper.[6] Heavy limestone piers that separate the large bay windows that have been largely unaltered beautifully enclose the steel frame. The building went through some renovations over time such as new layers of paint and remodeling of the original walls, but the Flatiron is still true to its original form and architectural distinction.[7] The Flatiron building was an important player in the city that helped spearhead Atlanta’s growth from another typical southern city into a developing city to be reckoned with. It was considered to be located on “one of the most valuable lots in the city,”[8] which helped fill out the Flatiron building after being built.
When the Flatiron building opened it was bustling with life and full of tenants. Many different professions had their offices within the Flatiron building, from doctors, dentists, architects, and lawyers.[9] Many companies also held spaces in the building, “including the English-American Co., architect Haralson Bleckley, Otis Bros. Co. (elevators), Rand McNally Co., Mutual Life Insurance Co., D.C. Heath & Co., Southern Bell, the Atlanta Society of Medicine, and National Cash Register Co. There were also many individual professional men such as doctors and lawyers. During these first years, the street floor contained a variety of businesses from retail (groceries, tea, meat) to a Western Union office, a florist, and a tailor.”[10] The Flatiron building was a significant pioneer for the city of Atlanta. After the Flatiron was built the Empire building, Fourth National Bank building and the Chandler building followed closely after,[11] which helped continue to thrust Atlanta into a new age of commercial growth.
The Flatiron building was known as the English-American building, since the English-American Loan and Trust company built it, until 1910. From 1910 to 1916 the building was known as the Empire Life Building. From 1916 on it was known as the Flatiron Building.[12] The name of the Flatiron building changed almost as much as the ownership changed over time.[13] The English-American building was later bought out by The Georgia Savings Bank in 1920[14]; again only to be bought by The Hamilton Bank and Trust Company 50 years later in 1974. Later to be owned by the Historic Urban Equities Limited.[15] After almost 120 years of existence, the Flatiron building has been the first one to see the landscape of Atlanta change with the seasons.
The Flatiron building was built as a pioneer 118 years ago. As Atlanta arrived in the 20th century, the Flatiron building was literally one of the cornerstones of the commercial district of Atlanta. As Atlanta progressed forward, the city continued to grow and the Flatiron building was slowly shadowed by the exploding growth of the rest of the city. Luckily the building never fell into a decrepit state nor did it fall into the hands of accidents like fires or other natural disasters that would have ended its life. The Flatiron lives on and has had a period of a recent revitalization that started in 2015.
The Flatiron has stayed true to its original DNA as a pioneer 118 years later. The building has transformed into an entrepreneurial and technology hub. It has become a collaborative workspace that has brought a new energy and dynamic to The Flatiron building has been born again with a new name, FlatironCity. FlatironCity has become the first building of its kind in the downtown Atlanta area; it has partnered with Microsoft to create a Microsoft Innovation Center that will help boost the technology and startup scene in Atlanta. The tech-giant Microsoft has only two of these innovation centers in the United States, and the Flatiron building now houses one of them. According to J. Scott Trubey of the AJC, “The Microsoft facility isn’t a lab where Microsoft engineers will develop new technologies, but one where the Washington-based giant will help small companies create apps, software and other technologies. The center is geared toward aiding entrepreneurs, students, universities and government agencies.”[16]
The economy and the culture of Atlanta and the United States is constantly shifting, growing, and changing. Not only does the Flatiron building want to continue to push into the 21st century with confidence, the city of Atlanta seeks to do so as well. The story of the Flatiron building is inspiring. It is a story of the hard-headed pioneer that breaks the hard ground of new territory. It is a story of a building fighting with resilience and fortitude that has stood the test of time. It is a story of constant growth and forward progression. The Flatiron building is the oldest skyscraper in Atlanta, but now it is again it is at the tip of the spear; leading the charge to help take Atlanta into again a new era.
[1] National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form. Form 10-300 (Rev.10-74). March 26, 1976. Page 7.
[2] David K., Gleason and Don O’Briant. Atlanta. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1994. Page 14.
[3] David K., Gleason and Don O’Briant. Atlanta. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1994. Page 14.
[4] “Majority Stock in Atlanta Flatiron Building Is Sold.” The Atlanta Georgian, February 19, 1910. Page 1
[5] Craig, Robert M. The Architecture of Francis Palmer Smith, Atlanta’s Scholar-architect. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2012. Page 250
[6] Joseph J. Korom. The American Skyscraper, 1850-1940: A Celebration of Height. Boston: Branden Books, 2008. Page 219.
[7] Judge Ellis Orders Clean-up for Flatiron. The Atlanta Constitution (1881-1945); June 2, 1916; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Atlanta Constitution Page 7.
[8] Flatiron Building Placed on Market. (1919, Oct 22). ProQuest historical Newspapers: The Atlanta Constitution (1881-1945) Page 11.
[9] Atlanta City Directory. Polk & Co. 1910. Page 11-12.
[10] Doug Young. “Flatiron Building.” City of Atlanta, GA. Accessed April 14, 2016. http://www.atlantaga.gov/index.aspx?page=444#.
[11] “List of Tallest Buildings in Atlanta.” World Public Library. Accessed April 17, 2016. http://www.worldlibrary.org/articles/list_of_tallest_buildings_in_atlanta.
[12] National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form. Form 10-300 (Rev.10-74). March 26, 1976. Page 8.
[13] United States. National Park Service. “English.” National Parks Service. Accessed April 14, 2016. https://www.nps.gov/nr/Travel/atlanta/eng.htm.
[14] Flatiron Building is sold to Georgia Savings Bank and Trust Co. For… The Atlanta Constitution (1881-1945): Feb 16, 1920; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Atlanta Constitution. Page 1.
[15] Doug Young. “Flatiron Building.” City of Atlanta, GA. http://www.atlantaga.gov/index.aspx?page=444.
[16] J. Scott Trubey. “Microsoft Innovation Center, Tech Hub Open in Atlanta’s Flatiron. ”The Biz Beat Blog Microsoft Innovation Center.” December 15, 2015. Accessed April 16, 2016. http://business.blog.myajc.com/2015/12/15/microsoft-innovation-center-tech-hub-opens-in-atlantas-flatiron/.