Flat Iron Café

The Flat Iron Cafe was established in 1910, serving the Irish Community of Cleveland that was well established on the banks of the Cuyahoga River. The building, which was formally a four story hotel, had a fire in the late 1800's in which the top two floors were destroyed, leaving the building at its current  two levels. The first floor was used as a blacksmith's shop and the rooms on the second floor were used as lodging over the years by the sailors and longshoremen working on the lakes. There are two stories as to how the Flat Iron got its name. The most common explanation is due to the shape of the building. If you were to look down at the building, it is shaped like an old flat iron. The other explanation is that the building resembles the Flat Iron building in New York City. In the 1800's the Flat Iron building of New York City was the largest of its kind, at 10 stories high. You can view an authentic flat iron at the Cafe.