Flatiron Building is Atlanta’s oldest standing skyscraper

We were recently at a Falcons game and noticed a tall, odd-shaped building. Can you tell us about it?

The English-American Building, commonly known as the Flatiron Building, is Atlanta’s oldest standing skyscraper. The 11-story, narrow triangular structure was built in 1897 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

According to the National Park Service, “The English-American Building has played an important role in structuring the urban environment of downtown Atlanta.”

Bradford Gilbert designed the white brick building for the English-American Loan and Trust Co. The style of architecture is considered “neo-classicism.”

Atlanta’s Flatiron Building was built five years before New York’s city’s famed Manhattan landmark, which carries the same name. There is also a Flatiron Building in Toronto.

The steel-framed, trian- gular building with its large, street-level windows in the Fairlie-Poplar district of downtown Atlanta conforms to its lot between Peachtree, Broad and Poplar streets.

“In 1910 it became known as the Empire Life Build- ing for six years until it was renamed the Flatiron Build- ing,” according to the park service.

A large gold medal dec- orated the building during the 1996 Summer Olympics.

The 44,000-square-foot structure underwent a $12 million renovation in early 2015.

According to the Atlanta History Center: “During the restoration, Flatiron City paid special attention to historic preservation of this iconic Atlanta landmark, while creating a vibrant work environment for entrepreneurs and start-ups in Atlanta.”

The Flatiron Building, “FlatironCity,” bills itself as a melting pot for entrepreneurs and corporations.

The building is within walking distance of Centennial Olympic Park, CNN Center, Georgia State University and Five Points.

The Flatiron Building is located at 84 Peachtree St. in downtown Atlanta. It is open to the public during business hours.

2015 AJC FILE The Flatiron Building, rechristened as FlatironCity in 2015, was to be a home to startup companies and an incubator for women-owned companies.