SOHO's Cast Iron District
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DOWNTOWN ON SOHO 109 Prince Street Iron ANTIQUITY alking through SoHo, with its buildings’ an American architectural innovation. Prefabricated in THE E.V. HAUGHWOUT BUILDING majestic cast-iron façades, it’s hard to be- foundries, the highly malleable and relatively inexpen- Designed by architect John Gaynor in 1857, the E.V. Wlieve that this iconic neighborhood once sive material could produce intricate designs modeled Haughwout Building stands at 488 Broadway. The narrowly escaped the fate of demolition. In 1962, the on antiquity. The façades were often painted in neutral building’s cast-iron façade, which faces both Broad- proposed Lower Manhattan Expressway, conceived by tints, such as beige, to simulate stone. The strong yet way and Broome Street, displays a four-story arcade urban planner Robert Moses, would have connected lightweight cast iron allowed for high ceilings framed system with two orders of columns obtained from the Williamsburg and Manhattan bridges to the Hol- by palatial windows with slender support columns that the Sansovino Library in Venice. The building also land Tunnel via a 10-lane, east-west expressway run- flood light through the expansive and functional inte- featured the world’s first Otis passenger elevator, a ning along Broome Street. Lucky for New York, com- riors. Other unique attributes of SoHo’s cast-iron dis- prototype that eventually made the construction of munity activists, including the infamous Jane Jacobs, trict include the patterns of clear glass roundels cov- skyscrapers possible. successfully persuaded city officials to vote unani- ering the street-level vault panels, staircase risers and mously against the plan, and, in 1973, SoHo was of- treads. The roundels functionally allow natural light 109 PRINCE STREET ficially designated a historic district by the New York into the basement spaces of the buildings. However, Designed in 1882 by architect Jarvis Morgan Slade, City Landmarks Preservation Commission. before World War I, clear glass contained manganese, this five-story Renaissance Revival building extends 10 What Jane Jacobs so courageously fought to pre- an element that turns violet after consistent exposure bays along Greene Street and five bays along Prince serve 50 years ago was more than a community of to sunlight. While many of the glass roundels have Street. Each level is marked by a pronounced cornice underutilized industrial lofts once heavily populated been replaced over the years, originals still can be spot- emphasizing the expansive width of the structure. In by the wholesale textile industry. SoHo contains the ted by their translucent purple surface. addition, a plaque on the Greene Street façade bears greatest collection of cast-iron architecture in the Although cast iron was initially replaced by the the name Architectural Iron Works, Cheyney and world. Designed mainly in the style of Renaissance Re- more durable and structurally sound wrought iron, Hewlett, New York; Cheyney and Hewlett being the vival/Italianate, the cast-iron façades are rare because which was quickly succeeded by steel, its beauty still re- successor to D.D. Badger’s historic 1847 foundry, one they were produced only for a short period of time. mains in the building façades of SoHo, many of which of the earliest to erect cast-iron buildings in the Unit- During the mid to late 19th century, cast iron was have been restored to their original splendor. ed States. Photographed by Sarah Rossi. Map Jane Gardner. 48 SPRING 2012 n DOWNTOWNMAGAZINENYC.COM VISIT SOHO If you want to explore an interesting venue, the Museum of Comic and Car- toon Art at 594 Broadway will hit the spot. The museum is dedicated to the preservation, study, education and dis- play of comic and cartoon art, includ- ing animation, comic books and strips, illustration, political illustration, graphic novels, sports cartoons and more. moccany.org watCH SOHO From the quaint side streets to bustling Broadway, SoHo’s made it in the film biz. n After Hours (1985) n Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) n Ghost (1990) n The Prince of Tides (1991) n The First Wives Club (1996) n The Devil’s Advocate (1997) n Men in Black trilogy (1997, 2002, 2012) n Center Stage (2000) n Spider-Man (2002) n Unfaithful (2002) n Hitch (2005) n Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009) KNOW SOHO n SoHo was New York City’s first acro- nym, standing for South of Houston. n The boundaries for the neighbor- THE GUNTHER BUILDING floors that emphasize verticality, while tiers of double- hood include Houston Street on the In 1871, architect Griffith Thomas built 469 Broome hung windows are framed by regularly spaced Corinthian north, Lafayette and Centre streets Street as a warehouse for fur dealer William H. Gunther. columns, cornices, balustrades and brackets. Over the on the east, Canal Street on the south The Gunther name still stands on the pediment over the years, the occupants of the building, including an art gal- and West Broadway on the west. skillfully designed curved entrance bay. The building’s lery, artists’ studios and retail stores, have mirrored the n For city planners, SoHo is seen as Second Empire façade is characterized by diminishing transformation of the SoHo community itself. the main example of inner-city regen- eration and gentrification. 112 PRINCE STREET n The SoHo Cast-Iron Historic District Architect Richard Berger designed this six-story, was designated such by the New York Greek Revival building in 1889. The building’s slen- City Landmarks Preservation Commis- der colonnettes contain stylized capitals that stand sion, and was listed on the National on pedestals and support impost blocks topped Register of Historic Places, as well by rosettes. By the 1970s, the building’s upper as declared a National Historic Land- floors housed living/working lofts for artists, mark in 1978. including Maya Lin, the noted architect of the n The SoHo Cast-Iron Historic District Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington, consists of about 500 buildings over a D.C. During this time, fellow artist Richard 36-block radius. Haas proposed a trompe l’oeil mural on n SoHo’s side streets are known for the building’s east-facing wall that would being paved with Belgian blocks, mimic the design of the cast-iron fa- which are often confused with çade. This unique mural was completed cobblestone. in 1975 and still remains today. —MARISSA BIENSTOCK —StACY SEILER Bienstock is a freelance writer..