Flatiron buildings offer degree of recognition in far-flung cities

Cyclists ride past the Wukang Mansion in Shanghai, formerly called the Normandie Apartments, during a renovation and maintenance project in 2009. [Photo/IC]

I've never been to Shanghai, but I know it has a building that looks like one of my favorites in New York.

The Wukang Mansion in Shanghai's French Concession district, built in 1924, has that wedge design that looks like, well, a flatiron.

That happens to be the name of its older and taller cousin in New York —the Flatiron Building, completed in 1902 — and of the fashionable neighborhood it straddles in Manhattan.

The Wukang checks in at eight stories high, while the Flatiron, at 22 stories, once was one of the tallest buildings in New York. While the Flatiron Building was named for its appliance shape, it also has plenty of iron itself — its frame is steel.

I asked Shanghai native Chen Weihua, China Daily deputy editor and chief Washington correspondent, his thoughts on the Wukang.

"This is a well-known building in Shanghai. Yes, it reminds people of the NYC sister building Flatiron. … It is in the old French Concession area and along the Huaihai Road, a major street in Shanghai, like Broadway in NYC, so passers-by can see it very clearly. There are many Western-style buildings in that area.

"When back in Shanghai last April, I took a walk in the area with my mom and enjoyed the relaxed mood," Chen said. "In fact, the building is two or three blocks from our former China Daily Shanghai office, which was in the Hengshan Hotel.

"I love old buildings," he continued. "Shanghai is a city known as a showcase of architecture styles from around the world. Before 1949 and especially in the 1930s, it was the paradise of adventurers from around the world."

Designed by Laszlo Hudec, a famous Hungarian-Slovak architect, the Wukang Mansion has been home to some high-profile personalities.

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