New York’s iconic Flatiron Building, with its distinctive triangular shape, has left an indelible mark on modern architecture since its construction in 1902. What many don’t know, however, is that Barcelona has its own “Flatiron,” albeit on a more modest scale.
Located in the Ribera neighborhood, this Barcelona building, like its New York counterpart, is characterized by a wedge-shaped structure, with an extremely acute angle at the confluence of Rec and Triangle streets.
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The New York building, designed by architects Daniel Burnham and Frederick Dinkelberg, is one of the first skyscrapers in Manhattan. With its 22 floors and 86.9 metres in height, it stands imposingly over Fifth Avenue, bearing witness to the architectural evolution of the city.
It occupies a triangular block that forms one of the most emblematic corners of Manhattan, and its northern vertex, with its sharp angle, has been an object of admiration for more than a century.
The Flatiron in Barcelona, on the other hand, has a more discreet but equally fascinating history. Built in the 18th century, this building stands on a triangular plot of land that emerged after the redevelopment of the area affected by the demolitions for the construction of the Ciutadella.
The triangle that forms its base, delimited by the streets Rec, Triangle and Corretgers, is the result of the urban planning that was carried out after the fall of Barcelona in the War of Succession in 1714.
A hidden treasure in Barcelona
Although with only one ground floor and five storeys, the Catalan building shares with the New York Flatiron the peculiarity of an extremely sharp vertex, which faces the intersection of the streets. According to the folklorist Joan Amades, on Triangle Street there was an inscription from 1750 on the door of one of the buildings, which indicates its construction in the reurbanization of Barcelona after 1714.
Both buildings, separated by the Atlantic and with very different histories and scales, represent the ability of architecture to adapt to irregular terrain and turn them into urban landmarks.
While New York’s Flatiron Building is better known, Barcelona’s is a hidden treasure that offers a nod to the shared architectural history of two great cities.
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