SoHo’s cast-iron façades reveal a neighbourhood built for commerce and industry before its lofts became coveted places to live and work. Repeated columns, broad windows and ornate metalwork turn functional nineteenth-century buildings into a distinctive streetscape.
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Look up at the façades: repeated columns and large windows create a rhythm that is unusually consistent across these blocks. Many SoHo buildings were constructed as store-and-loft buildings during the post-Civil War period, with cast iron used for decorative fronts and structural elements.
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- SoHo’s Cast-Iron Historic District was designated in 1973.
- Many buildings began as store-and-loft structures.
- The district includes Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne and other styles.
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