An iconic folly
Flatiron Building
The Flatiron Building is one of New York’s most recognizable sights, mostly thanks to its distinct shape which earned it its nickname. New Yorkers definitely know it as the Flatiron and do not usually call it by its actual name: the Fuller Building. Although it is iconic today, the architect in charge of the project, Daniel Burnham, the man who gave Chicago its architectural visage, was continuously mocked during and after its construction, which lasted just a year. The skyscraper was dubbed 'Burnham’s folly' and the city’s newspapers published articles claiming it was surely going to immediately collapse as it couldn’t sustain the wind load at the intersection it had created. Artists loved it though, and the public soon followed, making the Flatiron the much-appreciated landmark it is today.
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