Vintage Postcard of the Flatiron Building in NYC
Vintage postcard of the Flatiron Building in Fort Worth, Texas

By today's standards the triangle-shaped, seven story Flatiron Building wouldn't rate as a skyscraper but when built in 1907 by Dr. Bacon Saunders it was the tallest building in North Texas. Dr. Saunders, a well-traveled physician with a knack for business, got the idea for the novel office building on a trip to New York, where he saw the original Flatiron Building at 23rd Street and Fifth Avenue.

Flatiron Buildings were built around the turn of the century to make use of the grid corners created by the street planning of that era. Today such structures are revered as historic landmarks. Outstanding restored Flatirons can be found in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Chattanooga and Atlanta, as well as Toronto and Vancouver. Fort Worth has the distinction of having the only Flatiron Building in Texas.