Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Flatiron Building
Though dwarfed by countless taller structures today, this unusual building - its
shape conforming to a triangular plot of land - remains striking, a symbol of the be-
ginning of the skyscraper era. Its slim, rounded facade is as proud as a ship's prow
sailing up the avenue. Completed in 1902, it anchored the north end of the presti-
gious Ladies' Mile shopping district, located between Union and Madison squares.
The designer, famous Chicago architect Daniel Burnham, included detailed Italian
Renaissancedecorationonthebuildingfromtoptobottom,muchofitinterra-cotta.
• 175 5th Ave at Broadway & 23rd St
• Open office hours
• Free
Gramercy Park
Samuel Ruggles laid out this neighborhood around a private park in the 1830s. It
remains the city's only private park and a desirable place to live. Stanford White re-
modeled No. 16 in 1888 for Edwin Booth, who founded the Players Club here. His
statue stands in the park (For further details see
Edwin Booth as Hamlet
)
.
• Lexington Ave, between 20th & 21st Sts
• Closed to public
National Arts Club
Originally the home of Samuel Tilden, a governor of New York and opponent of the
notorious
Boss Tweed
.
The Gothic Revival brownstone was designed by Calvert
Vaux, of Central Park fame. The National Arts Club, whose members have included
leadingAmericanartistssincethe1800s,boughtthebuildingin1906.Eachmember
is asked to donate a work to the club. Its galleries are open to the public.
• 15 Gramercy Park South
