The historic Magruder Flat Iron Building, one of Hyattsville’s most distinctive buildings, is getting a facelift in a new lead gray color with green trim thanks to a partnership with Green Owl Design and real estate firm Go Brent, which is renting space in the building.
Designer Erica Riggio, who is co-founder of Green Owl, told the Hyattsville Wire the project at the pre-war building at 5101 Baltimore Ave., which will take up to five days to complete, has been in the works since 2020, but was pending approval from the building owner.
The original plan was to remove awnings, remove old lighting, explore new options for lighting the building, repaint and repair the existing stucco facade and repaint existing metal framing around storefronts.
“We wanted to make that beautiful Flat Iron building shine, removing the awning and painting it to make it contemporary while highlighting its history. It’s a gateway building for Hyattsville, and we’re proud to be there,” said Kyle O’Connor, director of marketing and community engagement for GoBrent. “We’re also looking at some additional lighting and signage options so more to come.”
The 6,400-square-foot commercial building is shaped like a triangle to take advantage of the strip of land created by the highway and the train tracks parting ways.
According to the Prince George’s County Historical Society, the Hyattsville Flat Iron sits on a unique triangular-shaped property once part of the H.O. Simmons 1894 subdivision in between Route 1 and the old trolley line and railroad, now the Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail. It’s a smaller version of the 22-story Flatiron Building in New York City from 1902, one of at least two dozen other buildings with the same nickname.
The Flat Iron replaced earlier structures from about 1920-1927 once used as a market. Around 2002, owner Chuck Castle repainted the building mustard yellow with a signature squiggle, giving it something of an Art Deco feel.
Over the years, the Magruder Flat Iron Building has been home to a long list of tenants: a barber shop, a furniture repair company, a craft store, a tax preparation service, a recording studio, a florist and a TV repair shop, among other things.
The building is now home to several businesses including real estate firm Go Brent, Love Yoga Studio, Ballet, Tap and All That Jazz and Hairz Studio.
