New York City’s Flatiron building, a triangular Beaux-Arts landmark completed in 1902, is entering a new chapter as a luxury residential building. Once criticized as a deathtrap and known for creating a notorious wind current on Fifth Avenue, the building has primarily served as commercial space until now.

After nearly seven years behind scaffolding, the Flatiron’s ornamental brick and terracotta façade—featuring lion heads and eagles—has been meticulously restored. According to the BBC, specialists replicated and reinstalled thousands of terra-cotta pieces by hand to preserve the building’s historic character.

The reimagined Flatiron will open to wealthy residents this fall, offering 36 apartments, some spanning entire floors. Amenities include a double-height lobby, a pool, and a games room with a billiards table. Realtor Corcoran’s website reports that 14 of the apartments are already under contract.

The building’s history includes a tragic incident recounted by author Alice Alexiou, where a strong breeze caused by the Flatiron’s shape blew a 14-year-old messenger boy, John McTaggert, into the middle of Fifth Avenue, where he was fatally struck by a car. Despite the disruption caused by the wind, the Flatiron defied early predictions of structural failure. Alexiou noted that during a 60-mile-an-hour windstorm shortly after tenants moved in, the building showed no vibration.

Now a favorite of tourists and locals, the Flatiron’s transformation into a residential tower with apartments costing up to $58.5 million marks a significant evolution in its storied existence.

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