Flat irons? They're flat-out beautiful buildings

Every traveler has weaknesses. Put me in front of a three-sided building -- tall, squat, immaculate or broken down -- and my jaw goes slack. Pretty soon my camera's memory is full and I'm circling the property, trying doorknobs. My name is Reynolds and if I'm getting the Latin right, I am a trivallumophile. Most of the North American flatirons rose between 1890 and 1920, when cities started sprouting skyscrapers. Often, a flatiron marks the spot where one neighborhood's street grid inelegantly meets another. Sometimes it's other factors that produce an irregularly shaped lot. However the odd lot is created, developers are bound to look for ways to maximize space. And then they press architects to strut their ingenuity. Sometimes, you get gorgeous results. Here are five North American flatirons I've seen up close (beginning with that café in Jerome), followed by five I'd like to see -- although in the last case, I'd be happy to admire it from across the street. --Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times Staff writer