-Flatiron Building Bank c. 1904 - 1926

This "Flatiron Building Bank", was made out of cast iron, probably sometime between 1890 and 1950 by the Kenton Hardware Manufacturing Co.. I wonder about the person who designed it. I imagine him or her carefully carving the form from wood or clay, thinking about the real Flatiron building with its historical connotations. It must have been hard to capture the essence of the building in such a small format. The repetitive design with the numerous windows, reminds me of Agnes Martin’s grids or the facade paintings by Bernd and Hilla Becher. The texture of the cast iron adds a tactile element, inviting us to touch and feel the history embedded within. I like to imagine this object sitting on a shelf, filled with coins, quietly embodying the spirit of New York. It shows that artists and designers are in constant conversation, transforming, and reinterpreting one another’s ideas through time.