Bonus #3: The 23rd Street Subway Station Pays Homage to the Windy Streets Below The Flatiron Building

23rd Street hat mosaic

The construction of the Flatiron Building created a new wind pattern around the building, causing the long skirts of the fashionable Victorian ladies to blow upwards. The phrase “23 Skidoo” comes from this phenomenon, as police officers would chase off the men who came to get a glimpse. Hats would also be blown off, and the 23rd Street subway station mosaics feature a variety of fashionable hats, some from famous people, that are shown floating away.

This is one of the only neighborhoods is named for the building that anchors it, Sonny says proudly. So if you have an opportunity to have a meeting inside the Flatiron Building, take it because public tours simply don’t exist. The security staff regularly catch people who want to see inside or accidentally come here looking for a business that has the name of Flatiron.

Next, check out 10 Secrets of the Flatiron District