New York’s Flatiron Building, known as the “Flat Iron Building,” has sold at auction for $190 million. After an hour-long bidding war on the steps of a Manhattan courthouse, the auctioneer’s gavel fell on Wednesday for a total of $190 million. The starting bid was $40 million. The winner posed as Jacob Garlick, a mutual fund employee.
The triangular Flatiron Building is one of New York’s most popular attractions. The approximately 90 meter high building, which can also be seen in numerous films and television series, was opened in 1902 – at the intersection of Broadway, 23rd Street and Fifth Avenue in the middle of Manhattan. Up until a few years ago, Macmillan Publishers rented all 21 floors of the building, and it has been empty since they moved out.
The auction was ordered by a judge after a dispute broke out between the five previous owners about the future of the building. Real estate firms GFP Real Estate, Newmark, ABS Real Estate Partners andprovente Group jointly owned 75 percent of the building, with real estate developer Nathan Silverstein owning the remaining 25.
