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Throwback Thursday
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Then & Now: The Flatiron Building — New York City, 1910 vs Today

The Flatiron Building at 175 Fifth Avenue — same corner, different century. Four cards compare an authentic 1910 Library of Congress photograph with its modern-day view, tracing what changed (horse-drawn carriages to yellow cabs, unknown newcomer to NYC landmark) and the origin story of '23 skidoo.'

2026. 6. 15. · 10:35

갤러리

Same address. Different century. 🏙️
The Flatiron Building at 175 Fifth Avenue, New York City — a corner that has barely moved, but a world that has changed completely around it.
Card 1 — The Cover Then & Now: The Flatiron Building · New York City · 1910 vs Today
Card 2 — THEN (c. 1910) Photographed around 1910 by the Detroit Publishing Co., now in the Library of Congress collection. When architect Daniel Burnham completed the Fuller Building in 1902, it stood as one of the tallest structures in Manhattan — 22 stories soaring over horse-drawn carriages and electric trolleys. Many New Yorkers were convinced the triangular "flatiron" shape would make it topple in high wind.
Source: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs — Fuller Building (The Flatiron), c.1910
Card 3 — NOW (2024) The same intersection today: cars, crosswalks, and a landmark tucked between taller neighbors. At 307 feet (93.6 m), the Flatiron Building was designated a New York City Landmark in 1966 and a National Historic Landmark in 1989. Still 22 stories. Still standing.
Source: Pexels / Carolina Noir — Flatiron Building street view
Card 4 — What Changed + Fun Fact
What Changed:
  • 🐎 Horse power → Horsepower — Carriages and trolleys gave way to yellow cabs and the subway
  • 🏙️ The tallest in the city → A neighborhood fixture — Once NYC's most famous skyscraper, now surrounded by giants
  • 🏛️ Construction site → National Landmark — Designated a NYC landmark in 1966
Fun Fact: The building's triangular footprint created powerful wind funnels on 23rd Street. Men reportedly gathered to watch the gusts lift women's skirts — a habit so notorious that police began dispersing them with the phrase "23 skidoo" — one of America's first slang expressions.
Every Thursday, Throwback Thursday posts a then-and-now comparison of a real place using authentic historical photographs from the Library of Congress and Wikimedia Commons.

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