SoHo
Neighborhood Intelligence

SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street," was named in 1962 and became known worldwide for its cast-iron buildings, converted artists' lofts, and galleries. Almost all of the core neighborhood falls within the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District, designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1973. The official area covered here, NYC Planning's SoHo-Little Italy-Hudson Square, is broader than the cast-iron blocks: it runs from Houston Street south to Canal Street and from the Bowery west to the Hudson River, taking in Little Italy and the Hudson Square printing district.

Many side streets still have Belgian-block paving, and the loft buildings now hold shops, galleries, offices, and apartments. The Judd Foundation preserves artist Donald Judd's former home and studio on Spring Street, and the Drawing Center shows works on paper on Wooster Street. Old St. Patrick's Cathedral on Mulberry Street, completed in 1815, was the seat of the Archdiocese of New York until the present cathedral opened in Midtown. The New York City Fire Museum on Spring Street and the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art on Wooster Street round out the area's cultural stops.