The Flatiron Building, at the intersection of Market and Sutter Streets, was designed by Havens and Toepke and built in 1913.

Flatiron buildings are among the earliest skyscrapers erected in North American cities such as New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Chattanooga, Fort Worth, Atlanta, Toronto and Vancouver. Their triangular shape was determined by real estate parcels created by diagonal streets, such as Broadway in Manhattan and Market in San Francisco, slicing through an urban grid. They were named for their resemblance to clothes irons of the period.

The most famous flatiron building is the Fuller Building, generally regarded as New York City's first skyscraper. It was designed by Daniel H. Burnham, built in 1902, famously photographed by Edward Steichen, and perhaps responsible for the Jazz Age terms 23 skidoo and scram.