SoHo is named after its location South of Houston Street. The SoHo Cast Iron Historic District encompasses about 500 buildings in Lower Manhattan. The district is bounded by Broadway, West Broadway, Canal Street, Howard Street, Crosby Street, East Houston Street and West Houston Street.
Wandering through SoHo, you’ll spot some of the world’s finest cast-iron buildings. These buildings were constructed between the 1870s and 1890s as factories and warehouses. They display stunning cast-iron columns, cornices and balustrades.
The decorative pieces were molded at foundries and requested by catalog. Since decorative pieces were built remotely, they were bolted onto basic masonry facades and painted to give the look of stone. This process is much cheaper and faster than sculpting.
Buildings showcase large open interiors interrupted only by central columns. Large plate windows line the walls.
Two of the most impressive buildings are the King and Queen of Greene Street. These buildings were constructed in 1872 by architect Isaac Duckworth. Standing six stories tall, these warehouses are filled with striking cast-iron pieces.
According to belluckfox
