On first glance at this block of flats in Bristol you could be forgiven for thinking that it is the skinniest building in Britain.
Approaching the property side on it looks almost uninhabitable with a tiny slither of a wall mesuring up at just three feet wide.
Its appearance has caused a stir online and has both baffled and amused neighbours in the Fishponds area of the city for years.
Emma, who lives across the road, moved to the area around 18 months ago.
With the building undergoing renovation on its roof and facade at the time, she did not get the big reveal until the scaffolding came down.
She told MailOnline: ‘The first time we saw it, we thought it was so odd. It doesn’t quite look like it’s supposed to look.
‘And we’ve always thought, for ages, “What room is in that tiny little bit?”‘
A block of flats in Bristol has caused a stir online after people spotted how skinny it was
The block of flats in the Fishponds area of the city has got locals talking, who have compared it to an icon of the New York City skyline
The Flatiron Building in New York City is 285 feet tall with 22 stories, meaning it rather outsizes its Bristolian counterpart’s three floors
he slimmest part of the building opens out into a wedge shape – reminding the 28-year-old of a famous New York landmark.
Emma, who works in branding, said: ‘We both talk about it, it reminds us of the Flatiron Building in New York, we always compare it to that.’
The similarity of the triangular shapes of both the American and Bristolian apartment blocks is certainly striking – but at 22 stories and 285 feet tall, the Flatiron rather outsizes its lookalike’s three floors.
Though incredibly, the narrowest point of the Flatiron, at the very top, is only six feet wide, only slightly more than the Fishponds flats’ slimmest part.
The skinniest area of the Bristolian block of flats is only just big enough for a toilet cistern, local man Andy Bollan told MailOnline, estimating it must be around one metre wide.
He understands the bathroom is what is in the slimmest section of the building, after once speaking to a resident of the flat about it.
One commenter on a local Facebook group post about the property’s unique shape seemed to confirm the skinniest end is indeed the toilet, saying his mother used to own a shop in the building.
Could these flats be dubbed ‘the Flatiron of Bristol’? Emma said with caution: ‘I mean, you could say that…’
Another resident, who has lived on the street for three years and did not want to be named, found the New York landmark came to mind for him too.
Looking at a particular property in Bristol side-on reveals its unusual skinny shape – which has both baffled and amused neighbours
Could these Fishpond flats be dubbed the Flatiron of Bristol?
The slimmest part of the building opens out into a wedge shape
Local man Andy Bollan understands the bathroom is what is in the narrowest part of the block of flats
The skinny end is only one metre wide, Mr Bollan said – only just big enough to fit a toilet cistern
The resident told MailOnline: ‘Probably the only similar building I’ve seen like that is the Flatiron Building in New York.
‘There’s a building in New York called the Flatiron that’s very narrow at one end, hence its name.’
He is not bothered by its Bristolian counterpart: ‘I don’t think it’s an eyesore, I just don’t know how people can live there, it’s so small!
‘The only thing about it is with it being a home of multiple occupancy is that there’s a lot of coming and going, a lot of different people there so the inhabitants vary a great deal.’
Local Mr Bollan said he also thought the building was made up of houses in multiple occupation (HMO), with households sharing common areas, or bedsits.
But other residents who spoke to MailOnline did not know much about who lived there, with one guessing it was maybe students.
Before the terrace was converted into flats, the most recent historical data from Rightmove showed one house selling for £165,000 in 2006.
Emma loves how quirky the building is: ‘It’s so much nicer than something that’s a bit gross and I guess it’s also a bit different compared to everything down this road.’
Resident Emma, 28, who works in branding, liked that the block of flats was a bit different to everything else on the road
The other end of the triangular building is wider than its unusually skinny other end
But she is not sure if she would live somewhere like that herself: ‘It would depend on the rest of the space, if you know what I mean, how big the rest of the space is – or a really good location.’
The 28-year-old spotted some lively discussion of the property on a local Facebook group last week with a picture of it getting more than 200 comments and 700 reactions.
Though commenters said, ‘”Look at how weird this building is!”‘, she said the general attitude to the flats was positive: ‘”It’s kind of interesting, it’s kind of unique” – a more positive light than a negative one.’
Many locals said the post was the first time they had been made aware of the unusual building, despite living in Fishponds for years in some cases.
Others exchanged jokes about the building with one saying: ‘Saves a fortune in carpet and wallpaper.’
Another added: ‘It’s the eighth strangest thing about the Ponds.’
Some chimed in saying, ‘It’s only a problem in high winds’, and, ‘Wish I could be that skinny’.
People swapped notes about what it used to look like in the past too – something Becky, who has lived on the road for 60 years, told MailOnline about too.
The property has got Fishponds residents talking, with a recent post about it on a local Facebook group from last week getting more than 200 comments and 700 reactions
The building used to be shops rather than a residential property, according to long-time Fishponds resident Becky
One commenter on a local Facebook group jokingly said the size of the skinniest flat might only be a problem in ‘high winds’
She said: ‘It used to be, the front bit, was shops, little shops, and quite a few years ago, they turned it into flats.’
She explained what was there: ‘An electrical shop, a shoemaker, a vegetable shop, some clothing place. Over the years it’s changed.’
The long-time Fishponds resident is quite fond of the Flatiron lookalike: ‘I quite like it, it’s nice and tidy, they’ve done lots to it over the years, it’s quite smart.
‘I quite like it being there actually.’
The area has served her well: ‘It’s a nice road this one, I like it, I never want to move. I had four children and they went to school locally.
‘It’s a nice area, Fishponds, really, I’ve never had any complaints!’
But Becky was not convinced by living in a one metre wide flat herself: ‘Oh God, no, no! It must be tiny inside, you wouldn’t get much in there.’
A teacher who lives nearby, who did not want to be named, has noticed the property getting quite a lot of attention from people in the street.
Residents who spoke to the MailOnline were not convinced by the idea of living in such a slim property themselves
Passersby quite often stop to look at the property and have a discussion about it, according to a teacher who lives nearby
He told MailOnline: ‘I think it’s unusual. Especially when they first redid it, I saw it got a lot of attention.
‘Passersby would have a look and have a little discussion about it.’
He also would not be keen on living there himself though: ‘I wouldn’t do it, it wouldn’t suit my needs. I work from home and I have a toddler, it’s not going to work for me!
‘But if I was a single professional and it was a location I really liked, then perhaps.
‘…That’s the only way a young professional can live in an urban area really without already owning something or having family.’
Another resident, who did not wish to be named, kept his assessment of the property short and sweet, telling MailOnline: ‘It’s alright. It’s a bit strange but it’s alright.’