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42-633: The Toy Center , also known as the International Toy Center , is a complex of buildings in the Flatiron District of Manhattan , New York City , that for many years was a hub for toy manufacturers and distributors in the United States. It includes two buildings located between 23rd Street and 25th Street across from Madison Square , where Fifth Avenue and Broadway cross. The American International Toy Fair ,

84-684: A metonym for New York's high technology sector, which has since spread beyond the area. The Flatiron District is part of Manhattan Community District 5 . Residents are represented by the Flatiron Alliance neighborhood association and nearby businesses by the Flatiron NoMad Partnership business improvement district , though the two have different (partially overlapping) boundaries. The designation "Flatiron District" dates from around 1985, and came about because of its increasingly residential character, and

126-414: A new city charter . All former municipalities within the newly consolidated city were dissolved. New York City was originally confined to Manhattan Island and the smaller surrounding islands that formed New York County. As the city grew northward, it began annexing areas on the mainland, absorbing territory from Westchester County into New York County in 1874 ( West Bronx ) and 1895 ( East Bronx ). During

168-462: A center for the toy industry during World War I , following restrictions on imports from the traditional European manufacturers. From 1910 to 1927 the Boy Scouts of America National Headquarters was located in the building. A second 16-story building at 1107 Broadway was acquired in 1967, and a pedestrian bridge over 24th Street, connecting the two buildings at the ninth floor, was constructed

210-509: A county in themselves, or are completely separate and independent of any county. Each borough is represented by a borough president . Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island each have a Borough Hall with limited administrative functions. The Manhattan Borough President's office is situated in the Manhattan Municipal Building . The Bronx Borough President's office used to be in its own Bronx Borough Hall but has been in

252-462: A sandwich shop that opened in the space in 1928. Notes 40°44′27″N 73°59′23″W  /  40.7408°N 73.9896°W  / 40.7408; -73.9896 Borough (New York City) The boroughs of New York City are the five major governmental districts that compose New York City . They are the Bronx , Brooklyn , Manhattan , Queens , and Staten Island . Each borough

294-586: Is coextensive with a respective county of the State of New York : The Bronx is Bronx County, Brooklyn is Kings County, Manhattan is New York County, Queens is Queens County, and Staten Island is Richmond County. All five boroughs of New York came into existence with the creation of modern New York City in 1898, when New York County (then including the Bronx), Kings County, Richmond County, and part of Queens County were consolidated within one municipal government under

336-569: Is created when a county is merged with populated areas within it. The limited powers of the boroughs are inferior to the authority of the government of New York City , contrasting significantly with the powers of boroughs as that term is used in Connecticut , New Jersey , and Pennsylvania , where a borough is an independent level of government, as well as with borough forms used in other states and in Greater London . New York City

378-477: Is often referred to collectively as the five boroughs , which can unambiguously refer to the city proper as a whole, avoiding confusion with any particular borough or with the Greater New York metropolitan area . The term is also used by politicians to counter a frequent focus on Manhattan and thereby to place all five boroughs on equal footing. In the same vein, the term outer boroughs refers to all of

420-969: The Bronx County Courthouse for decades. Since the abolition of the Board of Estimate in 1990 (due to a 1989 ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court ), the borough presidents have minimal executive powers, and there is no legislative function within a borough. Executive functions in New York City are the responsibility of the Mayor of New York City , while legislative functions reside with the New York City Council . The borough presidents primarily act as spokesmen, advocates, and ceremonial leaders for their boroughs, have budgets from which they can allocate relatively modest sums of money to community organizations and projects, and appoint

462-650: The Flatiron Building at 23rd Street , Broadway and Fifth Avenue . Generally, the Flatiron District is bounded by 14th Street , Union Square and Greenwich Village to the south; the Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue) and Chelsea to the west; 23rd Street and Madison Square (or NoMad ) to the north; and Park Avenue South and Gramercy Park to the east. Broadway cuts through

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504-532: The New York metropolitan area as well as in other states, U.S. territories , and foreign countries. In 2011, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg referred to the city's waterfront and waterways as a composite sixth borough during presentations of planned rehabilitation projects along the city's shoreline , including Governor's Island in the Upper New York Bay . The Hudson Waterfront , in

546-698: The Pan Am Building . The marble clock tower of the building, modeled on St Mark's Campanile in Venice , dominates Madison Square and the park there. Nearby, on Madison Avenue between 26th and 27th Streets , on the site of the old Madison Square Garden , is the New York Life Building , built in 1928 and designed by Cass Gilbert , with a square tower topped by a pyramid covered with gold-colored tiles. The Appellate Division Courthouse of New York State on Madison Avenue at 25th Street ,

588-691: The U.S. state of New Jersey , lies opposite Manhattan on the Hudson River , and during the Dutch colonial era , it was under the jurisdiction of New Amsterdam and known as Bergen . Jersey City and Hoboken , in New Jersey's Hudson County , are sometimes referred to as the sixth borough, given their proximity and connections by rapid transit PATH trains to the city. Fort Lee , in Bergen County , opposite Upper Manhattan and connected by

630-470: The 1898 consolidation, this territory was organized as the Borough of the Bronx, though still part of New York County. In 1914, Bronx County was split off from New York County so that each borough was then coterminous with a county. When the western part of Queens County was consolidated with New York City in 1898, that area became the Borough of Queens. In 1899, the remaining eastern section of Queens County

672-538: The Chetrit Group sold the 1107 Broadway part of the complex to developer Yitzchak Tessler for $ 235 million. Lehman Brothers provided a $ 136.8 million to finance the purchase of the property. Tesslar then announced plans to convert the building into luxury condos. In October 2008, shortly after the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, their loan to Tesslar came due, however he failed to refinance the project and

714-665: The Tower), and taller than the Flatiron Building. The triplex penthouse was purchased for $ 57.3 million in February 2014. Another landmark is the 1909 sidewalk clock outside 200 Fifth Avenue. The campus of the City University of New York 's Baruch College is located between 23rd and 25th Streets on Lexington Avenue , at the eastern edge of the district. The Field Building at 23rd Street and Lexington Avenue,

756-664: The Toy Center and at the Javits Center each February, brings up to 10,000 buyers from the United States and around the world. In early 2005, the building complex was sold by the Malkin family for $ 355 million to the Chetrit Group . In April 2007, L&L Holding Company bought 200 Fifth Avenue for $ 500 million. Tenants at the building now include Grey Global Group , Tiffany & Co. , and Eataly . In October 2007,

798-470: The U.S., the area began to be referred to as the Photo District because of the large number of photographers' studios and associated businesses located there, the photographers having come because of the relatively cheap rents. As of the 2000s, many publishers have their offices in the district, as well as advertising agencies , and the number of computer- and Web-related start-up companies in

840-446: The area caused it to be considered part of " Silicon Alley " or "Multimedia Gulch", along with TriBeCa and SoHo . The Flatiron district was bounded by the center of the printing trades south of 23rd Street and the garment industry starting to the north of 23rd Street. With the collapse of the printing trades and the textile industries in New York City, the area's business focus shifted towards technology companies, and to firms serving

882-711: The area include Tibet House US , the Tibetan cultural preservation and education nonprofit founded by Robert Thurman and Richard Gere , which features a gallery and exhibitions on 15th Street. The Museum of Sex and the Gershwin Hotel, are both located on 27th Street. The Gershwin is a tribute to the late pop artist Andy Warhol , and features some of his art and memorabilia throughout the hotel. The area has many stores, such as Ann Taylor , Victoria's Secret , Club Monaco , and Origins . " Big-box " retailers dominate Sixth Avenue between 14th Street and 23rd Street, at

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924-482: The boroughs excluding Manhattan, even though the geographic center of the city is along the Brooklyn–Queens border. All five boroughs were created in 1898 during consolidation, when the city's modern boundaries were established. The Bronx originally included parts of New York County outside of Manhattan that had previously been ceded by neighboring Westchester County in two stages; in 1874 ( southern Yonkers , and

966-402: The building remained largely vacant and undeveloped. In December 2009, land research firm Real Capital Analytic added the building to their list of troubled assets. Tesslar claimed that he failed to refinance because Lehman Brothers "did not fulfill their pre-construction obligation." Lehman Brothers Holding Co. filed a suit against Tesslar in 2010 and threatened foreclosure, however all litigation

1008-555: The city. In some document collections the boroughs used to be designated with a one-letter abbreviation: K for Brooklyn, M for Manhattan, Q for Queens, R for Staten Island (Richmond County), and X for the Bronx. The term "sixth borough" is used to describe any of a number of places that have been metaphorically called a part of New York City because of their geographic location, demographics (they include large numbers of former New Yorkers), special affiliation, or cosmopolitan character. They have included adjacent cities and counties in

1050-519: The counties are considered to be arms of the state government), rather than officials of the city government, they are not subject to the term limitations that govern other New York City officials such as the mayor, the New York City Public Advocate , members of the city council, or the borough presidents. Some civil court judges also are elected on a borough-wide basis, although they generally are eligible to serve throughout

1092-525: The district's western edge. One of the neighborhood's older restaurants is Eisenberg's Sandwich Shop , founded in 1929. The classic 40-foot (12 m) lunch counter restaurant at 174 Fifth Avenue, near East 22nd Street, changed owners five times over the last 94 years. It was saved from closing in 2005 by a loyal customer, closed again in March 2021 due to the Covid pandemic, and reopened as S & P, named for

1134-436: The employees in the high-tech, finance, media, legal, and medical sectors. The Flatiron District is located in the part of Manhattan where the bedrock Manhattan schist is located deeper underground than it is above 29th Street and below Canal Street . Under the influence of zoning laws , the tallest buildings in the area used to top out at around 20 stories; older buildings of 3-6 floors are still numerous, especially on

1176-460: The following year. Most of the industry's major companies had moved in by World War II , and building manager Helmsley-Spear restricted new leases exclusively to toy companies starting in the 1960s. By 1981, the complex covered 1,000,000 square feet (93,000 m) of leasable space, with its 600 tenants accounting for 95% of toy transactions in the United States that year, amounting to $ 4 billion. The American International Toy Fair, held jointly at

1218-560: The industry's major annual trade show , is held annually in February at both the Toy Center and the Javits Center on 34th Street . The building also serves as the corporate headquarters of luxury retailer Tiffany & Co. The original building, at 200 Fifth Avenue, was constructed on the site of what had been the Fifth Avenue Hotel , which was completed in 1859 and was demolished in 1908. The 16-story building

1260-555: The influx of many restaurants into the area – real estate agents needed an appealing name to call the area in their ads. Before that, the area was primarily commercial, with numerous small clothing and toy manufacturers, and was sometimes called the Toy District . The Toy Center buildings at 23rd Street and Broadway date from this period, and the annual American International Toy Fair took place there beginning in 1903, except for 1945. When much of this business moved outside

1302-405: The media, they are technically and legally the district attorneys of New York County and Kings County, respectively. The same goes for Staten Island. There is no such distinction made for the district attorneys of the other two counties, Queens and the Bronx, since these boroughs share the respective counties' names. Because the five district attorneys are, technically speaking, state officials (since

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1344-522: The members of the 59 largely advisory community boards in the city's various neighborhoods. The Brooklyn and Queens borough presidents also appoint trustees to the local public library systems in those boroughs. Being coextensive with an individual county, each borough also elects a district attorney , as does every other county of New York State. While the district attorneys of Manhattan and Brooklyn are popularly referred to as "Manhattan D.A. Cyrus Vance, Jr. ", or "Brooklyn D.A. Kenneth P. Thompson " by

1386-477: The middle of the district, and Madison Avenue begins at 23rd Street and runs north. At the north (uptown) end of the district is Madison Square Park , which was completely renovated in 2001. The Flatiron District encompasses within its boundaries the Ladies' Mile Historic District and the birthplace of Theodore Roosevelt , a National Historic Site . The Flatiron District was also the birthplace of Silicon Alley ,

1428-420: The name of the county unchanged. There are hundreds of distinct neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs of New York City, many with a definable history and character to call their own. Since 1914, each of New York City's five boroughs has been coextensive with a county of New York State – unlike most U.S. cities , which lie within a single county or extend partially into another county, constitute

1470-656: The oldest building on the Baruch campus, sits on the former site of the Free Academy (now City College of New York ), which was founded in 1847 and was the first institution of free public higher education in the United States. Baruch's Newman Vertical Campus as well as the Zicklin School of Business , the largest collegiate school of business in the United States, are also located on 24th and 25th Streets between Third and Lexington Avenues. Cultural attractions in

1512-555: The side streets. Notable buildings in the district include the Flatiron Building , one of the oldest of the original New York skyscrapers. To the east, at 1 Madison Avenue, is the Met Life Tower , built in 1909 and at 700 feet (210 m) was the tallest building in the world until 1913, when the Woolworth Building was completed. It is now occupied by Credit Suisse since MetLife moved their headquarters to

1554-406: The three eastern towns of Queens County that had not joined the city the year before—the towns of Hempstead , North Hempstead , and Oyster Bay —formally seceded from Queens County to form the new Nassau County . The borough of Staten Island, coextensive with Richmond County, was officially the borough of Richmond until the name was changed in 1975 to reflect its common appellation, while leaving

1596-487: The towns of Kingsbridge , West Farms , and Morrisania ) and then following a referendum in 1894 (towns of Westchester , Williamsbridge , and the southern portion of Eastchester ). Ultimately in 1914, the present-day separate Bronx County became the most recent county to be created in the State of New York. The borough of Queens consists of what formerly was only the western part of a then-larger Queens County. In 1899,

1638-497: Was completed in 1900 by architect James Brown Lord , who used a third of the construction budget to decorate the building with statues and murals. Completed in 2010, One Madison Park , a 50-story luxury condominium tower, sits at 23 East 22nd Street, at the foot of Madison Avenue and across from Madison Square Park. It is nearly as tall as the Met Life Tower (617.5 feet (188.2 m), compared to 700 feet (210 m) for

1680-514: Was completed in 1909 and was originally known as the Fifth Avenue Building , which name is on the landmark clock outside the front entrance, and the interlocked initials "F.A.B." were still in the building's elevators in 2003. The architect was Robert Maynicke . An ornate cast-iron sidewalk clock outside the main entrance, built by Hecla Iron Works in 1909, became a New York City designated landmark in 1981. The building became

1722-621: Was eventually dropped after Tesslar settled with the bankrupt company, and the property ended up in Lehman's commercial real estate portfolio. Lehman then held an auction for the building in June 2011. A group of Investors led by the Witkoff Group won the auction, purchasing the property for $ 191 million. Notes Flatiron District The Flatiron District is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan of New York City , named after

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1764-508: Was split off to form Nassau County on Long Island , thereafter making the borough and county of Queens coextensive with each other. The term borough was adopted in 1898 to describe a form of governmental administration for each of the five fundamental constituent parts of the newly consolidated city . Under the 1898 City Charter adopted by the New York State Legislature, a borough is a municipal corporation that

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