Scaffolding Removal Begins On The Flatiron Building in Manhattan’s Flatiron District

Flatiron Building. Rendering courtesy of Realty Check.Flatiron Building. Rendering courtesy of Realty Check.

Construction is steadily progressing on the Flatiron Building, the iconic landmark which is currently undergoing an office-to-residential conversion by Studio Sofield in Manhattan’s Flatiron District. SLCE Architects serving as the executive architect for the project, which is being led by the development team of the Brodsky Organization, GFP Real Estate, and Sorgente Group. Inside will be 38 condominium units in three- to five-bedroom layouts marketed by Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group. The 124-year old structure is located at the confluence of Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and East 23rd Streets.

YIMBY first photographed and documented the scaffolding assembly back in early November 2019. By this point, the three corners of the building were already covered with black netting and metal scaffolding, while the three elevations awaited to be covered. Recent photographs show the top half of the eastern elevation beginning to reveal itself in the morning light.

The Flatiron Building. Photo by Michael Young.

The Flatiron Building. Photo by Michael Young.

The Flatiron Building. Photo by Michael Young.

The Flatiron Building. Photo by Michael Young.

The Flatiron Building. Photo by Michael Young.

The Flatiron Building. Photo by Michael Young.

The below images show a nighttime view of the upper exterior lighting when they were being tested earlier this year.

The Flatiron Building. Photo by Michael Young.

The Flatiron Building. Photo by Michael Young.

The Flatiron Building. Photo by Michael Young.

The Flatiron Building. Photo by Michael Young.

The above main rendering looks south at the Flatiron Building, previewing the LED lights designed by L’Observatoire International that will illuminate its Renaissance Revival façade for the first time in its history. The light installation will highlight the ornate details in the glazed terracotta exterior, particularly on the upper stories below its cornice, as well as the wraparound set of ornamental elements on level four. Also visible is the refurbished ground-floor frontage along the pedestrianized Broadway plaza. The below rendering shows the refurbished lower levels at the corner of Fifth Avenue and East 22nd Street.

The lower levels of the Flatiron Building. Rendering courtesy of the Flatiron Building.

The lower levels of the Flatiron Building. Rendering courtesy of the Flatiron Building.

Below are renderings of the main lobby, and several of the homes with their open kitchens, living room spaces, bedrooms, and bathrooms.

The main lobby. Rendering courtesy of the Flatiron Building.

The main lobby. Rendering courtesy of the Flatiron Building.

Level 21. Rendering courtesy of the Flatiron Building.

Level 21. Rendering courtesy of the Flatiron Building.

The "Great Room" on level 21. Rendering courtesy of the Flatiron Building.

The “Great Room” in unit 14 South. Rendering courtesy of the Flatiron Building.

The primary bedroom on level 21. Rendering courtesy of the Flatiron Building.

The primary bedroom in unit 5 North. Rendering courtesy of the Flatiron Building.

The primary bathroom on level 21. Rendering courtesy of the Flatiron Building.

The primary bathroom on level 21. Rendering courtesy of the Flatiron Building.

Residenital amenities will occupy the lower levels and include an indoor swimming pool, a spa, a cold plunge pool, bike storage, a lobby, a package room, a lounge, a game room with a billiards table, a kitchenette and bar, and a fitness center.

The indoor swimming pool. Rendering courtesy of the Flatiron Building.

The indoor swimming pool. Rendering courtesy of the Flatiron Building.

The game lounge. Rendering courtesy of the Flatiron Building.

The game lounge. Rendering courtesy of the Flatiron Building.

The Flatiron Building’s office interiors have sat vacant since its last tenant, Macmillan Publishers, left in 2019 after occupying the site for nearly decades. Scaffolding and black netting have covered the famous New York landmark for the last seven years as restoration work progresses. All of the window-mounted air conditioning units have been removed and will eventually be replaced by an upgraded internal HVAC system. Other planned improvements include an updated lobby space, new elevators, replacement of nearly 1,000 windows, revised ground-floor retail frontage and storefront louvers, and restoring the six-foot tall cornice at the top of the building.

Originally Designed by Daniel Burnham completed in 1902 as the Fuller Building, the 307-foot-tall steel-framed structure is among the most prominent examples of early skyscraper design and is a globally renowned symbol of New York. The developers acquired the property for $161.5 million in a March 2023 auction.

The Flatiron Building’s office-to-residential transformation is expected to be finished in the fall of 2027, as noted on site.

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19 Comments on "Scaffolding Removal Begins On The Flatiron Building in Manhattan’s Flatiron District"

  1. I could live there.

  2. Shoehorning on quite a high level, very nice, but I’ll still take The Dakota (as if they’d ever take me)

  3. The bedrooms and baths look to be really exceptional, especially with the buildings “almost 1000 windows”

  4. Cheesemaster200 | March 26, 2026 at 10:50 am | Reply

    I feel the luxury condo model is needed here to afford the monthlies required for Local Law 11 work on this building…

  5. David in Bushwick | March 26, 2026 at 12:17 pm | Reply

    A most happy and appropriate evolution for this historic icon.
    Despite the inevitable LED lighting at the top, tenants may quickly tire of lights shining into their windows.

    • Robert Shultz | March 29, 2026 at 7:34 am | Reply

      Truly a remarkable building but I wonder what the lighting will be on the interiors. I am sure that this was thought out way before anything was finalized.

  6. Interior looks beautiful, great designs.

  7. GFP is also involved with this conversion.

  8. Can only imagine the cost of rent in this building lol

  9. David of Flushing | March 26, 2026 at 4:44 pm | Reply

    I am surprised there are no triangular coffee tables in the images. I always found the lobby to be painfully plain compared to the exterior. A little excess would be in order.

  10. That rendering with a girder in the middle of the living room area, seems a bit bizarre..

  11. Edward Steichen’s famous 1904 photograph, “The Flatiron” should be used in their marketing brochures

  12. Jimbo Jones 3rd 2.0 | March 27, 2026 at 12:10 pm | Reply

    It only took a decade ((clap))

  13. Andrew Porter | March 27, 2026 at 4:39 pm | Reply

    I’ll share the link to this with several people who worked for Tor Books and St. Martin’s Press, headquartered there for many years. And I have numerous photos of the interior, back when it was full of publishing companies. Back when Tor Books was there, the publisher’s office was in the narrow triangle at the “prow” of the floor!

  14. Building looks amazing. Iconic building, with high-end finishes . I believe AECOM/Tishman is doing the construction.

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