It is the financier Jacob Garlick, founder of the investment fund Abraham Trust, who took away this "Iron", empty since 2019, confirmed Thursday to AFP the commissioner Matthew Mannion of the auction company Mannion Auctions.

The buyer will have to pay by Friday night "10% of this amount -- $ 19 million -- otherwise the property will go to the second bidder, Jeff Gural, who represented 75% of the owners and offered $ 189.5 million," according to Mr. Mannion.

The "Flatiron Building" is a 22-story, 87-meter-high office building located in Midtown Manhattan, at the intersection of 22nd Street, Fifth Avenue and Broadway.

Its pointed shape, in "Iron", recognizable among all and which gave it its name is explained by the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway, the only avenue in Manhattan that is not aligned with the rectilinear plan of the island.

Built in two years and completed in 1902, the "Flatiron" was built by an architect of the Chicago School, Daniel Burnham, in the Beaux-Arts style, like many New York buildings, for example the huge Grand Central Station.

The loser, Mr. Gural, said he was "a little shocked", on local television NY1, that "someone has made so much more expensive for this piece of the city's heritage".

"It's a beautiful building, but it needs $100 million in renovations," he warned.

"It's been a dream since I was 14 years old," said the lucky winner, Mr. Garlick, pledging to "preserve his integrity forever".

The "Iron" had been empty since 2019 when its last tenant, MacMillan Publishers, left.

The five owners had not been able to agree on its renovation or use. Four real estate companies -- GFP Real Estate, Newmark, ABS Real Estate Partners and the Sorgente Group -- controlled it 75%.

The fifth partner, Nathan Silverstein, controlled the remaining 25%.

In 2021, the four companies sued Silverstein, accusing him of leaving the "Flatiron" empty. Silverstein retaliated in a New York court by claiming they wanted to rent the skyscraper at a below-market price, according to CNBC television.

The municipal court ordered the five owners to sell at auction.

© 2023 AFP