A convenient and scalable synthesis of a range of 1-substituted fluorenones from readily available starting materials is described. Through the use of either a Suzuki process, benzyne chemistry, or the Hoffmann rearrangement, a range of different 1-substituted fluorenones (fluoro, chloro, bromo, iodo, methoxy, cyano, amino, phenyl, and hydroxy) were prepared on a multigram scale using robust and readily reproducible chemistry.