SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District | NYPAP

The SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District is a section of lower Manhattan bounded by Broadway, West Broadway, Canal Street, Howard Street, Crosby Street, East Houston Street, and West Houston Street. The district comprises about 500 buildings, many of which are characterized by their cast-iron facades.1

 Development of the district began in the late 18th century as a few businesses and wealthy residents moved in. The population surged after the War of 1812, and some homes from this era still remain. The latter half of the 19th century saw the district evolve into a center of commerce and entertainment, and the majority of the cast-iron buildings the district is known for were constructed during this period. The use of cast-iron allowed for ornate facades that were a much cheaper alternative to granite and marble. However, an increase of industrial production along with rising crime and “immorality” steadily drove residents out of the area.2

Manufacturing and dry goods businesses flourished after the Civil War, but the district began to decline in the early 20th century, leaving many spaces vacant for decades and leading some to refer to the area as Hell’s Hundred Acres.3 

It was not until the late 1960s that artists became attracted to the area because the large, unoccupied loft spaces made affordable studios. Many of those who moved into the area lived in their workspaces, even though it was illegal to do so, and the area was not sufficiently equipped for residential life, lacking basic necessities such as trash collection.4 

At the same time, the entire landscape of SoHo was threatened by plans to build the Lower Manhattan Expressway (LOMEX). LOMEX was a proposed ten-lane elevated highway that would connect the Hudson to the East River, but would require the demolition of much of SoHo and Little Italy. Artists in the area collaborated with other preservation advocates in the first, unsuccessful attempt to designate SoHo as a historic district for its architectural significance. Although that failed, they also formed Artists Against the Expressway and ultimately helped defeat the plans for LOMEX, which saved the architecture in the area.

Around this same time, the Artists Tenant Association, which worked to ensure the availability of affordable studio space for artists around the City, aided the newly formed SoHo Artists Association in their efforts to gain legitimacy in SoHo. They successfully campaigned for a law allowing approved artists to continue living in the industrial buildings in the area. The “SoHo Effect” has become a model for repurposing an industrial district for mixed use, both commercial and residential, while preserving much of the existing structural integrity.5 Today SoHo is known for its unique cast-iron architecture, desirable loft living, and upscale boutiques. In 2010, an extension was granted that added about 135 buildings that were not included in the original boundaries of the district.6