New York's Iconic Building Will Soon Be Even More Spectacular For Tourists & Locals Alike

New York may be the city that never sleeps, but you couldn't always say that about one of its oldest skyscrapers, the Flatiron Building. Until now, this 22-story Manhattan icon — named for its triangular, clothes-iron shape — has effectively gone to bed after dark. Unlike the nearby Empire State Building, which displays different LED colors at night depending on the occasion, the Flatiron Building never had exterior lighting. In the past, the best time to see it would have been during the day or just after sunset when you could catch its windows lit in the waning glow of the magic hour. All that is about to change, as the Flatiron Building will soon feature nighttime illumination for the first time since it opened in 1902.

New York's Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the new lighting scheme by design firm L'Observatoire International. According to Time Out, it will involve an LED display on the Flatiron's top five floors, with additional lighting bringing out the intricate terra cotta details on the lower part of the building. When it debuts later in 2025, the lighting will also mark the end of an extensive restoration project, converting the Beaux-Arts-style building into luxury condos and installing over 1,000 new windows.

Perched on the corner of Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and East 23rd Street, the Flatiron Building has been sitting empty since 2019 when its former occupant, Macmillan Publishers, vacated the premises. For New Yorkers, it's become somewhat unsightly in the interim, as it's been covered in scaffolding and black netting. The completed restoration should be good news for architecture lovers, whether you're a local who's used to passing by the Flatiron Building, or a tourist who's in town to see the most popular New York City attractions.

Though it's a National Historic Landmark, the Flatiron Building isn't open to the public. That's to be expected as it's gone from a publishing house to a vacant building to an upcoming residential space. Since the building's biggest appeal is its architecture, anyway, you can still enjoy seeing it lit up in the near future from the surrounding Flatiron District. The building is so often photographed that the pedestrian island in front of it (where Broadway cuts diagonally across Fifth Avenue) now serves as a public plaza with cafe tables and Flatiron views.

The neighboring Eataly NYC Flatiron, said to be the world's largest artisanal Italian food marketplace, has a kiosk in the plaza where you can order things like espresso, gelato, and pizza. It's just one example of how you might discover many of New York's best shops and foods near this building. If you prefer butterbeer ice cream to gelato, you'll find that at the adjacent Harry Potter Shop New York.

The Tiffany Street Clock outside the main Eataly building provides another winning Flatiron photo op. You can also see the Flatiron Building from Madison Square Park, which is open after dusk. It's where the original Shake Shack evolved from a hot dog cart into the first restaurant in a global chain. If you don't mind waiting for an attraction with some of longest lines in the world, you'll even have a view of the building from the Empire State Building at night. It's only a 10-minute cab ride from the Flatiron Building to Times Square and the lights of New York's Theater District. While the building's address is on Fifth Avenue, seeing it illuminated might make it feel like it truly belongs on Broadway.