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Flatiron
Building
The Flatiron building was originally built in two parts in 1888 and 1889. The narrowest part of the building being 12 ft
(west end) and telescopes 180 ft to 90 feet wide at the east end. The original use of the four story brick building was a boarding house. In 1889, an attached building was erected with a second floor ballroom with 12 foot ceilings and a third floor Grand Ballroom with 20 ft. ceilings, complete with a stage, silk wallpaper, curved ceilings, and wainscoting. In its day the Flatiron building was a hub of social gathering for dancing and special occasions in the area. (The ticket booth is still visible at the top of the staircase from the street level, adjacent to the grand staircase to the ballroom.)
In the 1950's, many areas in the city started to decline, and the flatiron building was one of the many casualties. The ballroom became boat storage and the majority of the building was a bicycle and boat repair center. Large vats of water were resident on the first floor to test outboard motors.
In the 1970's, the Atlantic-University Neighborhood was a showcase of urban decay. The Flatiron building and surrounding houses were slated to be razed and replaced with a light manufacturing industrial park.
Paul Kramer purchased the Flatiron Building in the early 1980's from the Towners. At that time, pigeons were the main tenants in the top three floors. By the 1990's, Paul had replaced all the windows, rebuilt the storefronts, cleaned the brick façade, rebuilt the metal work, put on a new roof, and several apartments were renovated, and the building was reoccupied.
The area has now been fully renovated and is a highly desirable and sought after place to live and locate a business. The Neighborhood of the Arts, and the home of the country's first outdoor Art Museum
 that connects Rochester's Art related cultural institutions.
The last of the loft apartments will be completed by late 2004. These 2 apartments boast curved oak staircases, original maple floors, 1.5 baths, open floor plan with 20 ft ceilings and skylights. The Flatiron building contains 18 unique loft style apartments and 8 storefronts. The point of the building is where Starry Nites Café is located.
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