A Stingy Piece of Pie

The Flatiron Building built to fit on a small triangular lot in downtown NYC is an example of popular sentiment winning over architectural critics. Built in 1902, Architectural Record thought it was awkward, and criticized the large number of windows. The New York Times called it a “monstrosity,” The New York Tribune describing it as a “stingy piece of pie,” and the Municipal Art Society said it was “unfit to be in the Center of the City.”