At the corner of Houston and West 9th streets in downtown Fort Worth, the Flatiron Building comes to a point in front of you. Completed in 1907, it was one of the city’s first steel frame buildings and, at the time of its completion, the tallest building in north Texas. The building was commissioned by local physician Dr. Bacon Saunders, who reserved the top floor for his offices and paid $70,000 for the project; it was originally known as Saunders' Triangle Building.
Early in construction nearby merchants worried about the shadow such a tall structure would cast, but their objections were eased by thoughts of the publicity the building would bring and by Police Chief Maddox’s promise to watch the construction site lest strong winds bring the girders down on them. Fort Worth’s top architectural firm, Sanguinet & Staats, designed the structure, drawing inspiration from Manhattan’s famous Flatiron Building. There’s even a curious tie to William Jenkins Worth: his grave in Worth Square has an obelisk that points to the base of Manhattan’s Flatiron, the building that inspired this one.
The flatiron-shaped corner where Houston and West 9th meet still catches your eye.