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Introduction

The birthplace of industrial and pop art during the the 1960s, Soho is still famous for its world-renowed art scene. West Broadway, the area's main thoroughfare, is home to some of the most important commercial galleries in New York City. Recently, however, a slow migration of some major galleries to Chelsea is threatening to split New York's art world into two seperate spheres.

Soho also contains some well-known museums, the majority of which exhibit modern art. On Broadway, the Guggenheim Museum Soho exhibits works with a focus on technology. Within a few blocks, you can also find the New Museum of Contemporary Art, the Alternative Museum and the Museum for African Art which displays a wide variety of African and African-American art, including sculpture and costumes.

Besides its framed art scene, Soho is also notable for having the world's largest collection of cast-iron buildings. Erected between 1860 and 1890 in the American-Industrial style, these iron buildings were shaped and painted with exquisite detail, mimicking Italianate, neo-Grecian and Victorian Gothic styles. At 84 Leonard Street, you can see a cast-iron building designed by John Bogurdas, inventor of this unique architecture.

In addition to spacious interiors and large windows, cast-iron architectural highlights include large iron loading bays and sidewalks covered with raised circular glass disks to let light into basement areas, and elaborate fire escape systems that shadowed on all buildings throughout old Soho.

The original purpose of these structures was to house the factories and sweatshops which were abundant in the 1950s, the area became what the City Club called in 1962, "the wasteland of New York".

The abandoned cast-iron buildings provided well-lit loft spaces that became very desirable to artists. Many of the buildings were renovated, and a program of redevelopment was pioneered by residents and developers who officially made the neighborhood an historic area in 1973. Throughout the 1970s, gentrification continued to transform this former industrial slum into the high-priced, cosmopolitan hot spot it is today.

Of particular architectural interest, the St Nicholas Hotel (521-523 Broadway), was built in the mid-1800s as a luxury hotel. Though it no longer exists, remains of its former glory can still be seen in its marble exterior.

Just south of Soho, Tribeca , the TRIanlge BElow CAnal is essentially a neighborhood in itself; or so the inhabitants may want to be acknowledged. Tribeca is a residential area favored by the likes of John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Robert DeNiro. In addition to his Tribeca Film Center(325 Greenwich Street), DeNiro is co-owner of a collection of restaurants throughout the neighborhood, many of which are frequented by people in the film industry.

Modern Tribeca offers a glimpse of what Soho was like prior to its current commercialization. When Soho's real-estate prices skyrocketed during the late 1970s, artists, photographers, and other creative types migrated to this previously undeveloped area, making use of its large converted loft spaces to live and work.

Just west of Greenwich Street, numbers 37-41 Harrison Street comprise a surviving row of early 18th-century Federal-style townhouses, beautifully restored and slightly out-of-place amongst the industrial-style buildings that surrond it. Part of Tribeca's charm lies in its experimental galleries, small theaters and live music venues. To find out more about Tribeca's happenings and history, pick up the area's free monthly newspaper - the "Tribeca Trib".

Despite Tribeca's recent civilization, corporate America, with its coffeeshop, book and clothing store chains, has not yet invaded this territory. Instead, you will find an assortment of cozy coffee spots, "local" bars and some of the city's best resturants.

The areas east of Soho and Tribeca are ethnic enclaves that represent the lasting impact of immigration on New York. Population shifts have certainly changed the faces of these neighborhoods, but their original character remains.

Little Italy is slowly disappearing as Chinatown (to the east) expands into it. Little Italy is sometimes considered a neighborhood of its own, however it is usually considered part of Soho or the Lower East Side. Mulberry,Mott, & Elizabeth Streets all run north to south through Little Italy, and are fully Italian betwen Kenmare and Hester Streets.

During the San Gennaro Festival, held each September, Mulberry Street is brought to life with food stalls, games and entertainment in a carnival-like atmosphere. If you can tolerate the crowds, you can sample Italian specialties such as fried dough or pastries.

Attractions

The Guggenheim Museum Soho is the downtown branch of the Solomon R. Guggenheim. Open to the public in 1992, it is located in a 19th-century landmark building in Soho's Cast-Iron Historic District. Designed by renowed architect Arata Isozaki, this unique gallery space features special exhibitions that complement those at the uptown Guggenheim.

Expanded and renovated in June 1996, the Guggenheim Museum Soho has a new focus on technology and the arts. With the support of German telecommunications carrier Deutsche Telekom A.G., four galleries on the main floor have been reconstruction and dedicated primarily to the presentation of multimedia art.
Additional exhibitions continue to present contemporary art, along with the Guggenheim's permanent collection.
Private guided tours, available in English and other languages, focus on the museum's art, architecture, and special exhibitions.(For more attraction information, click 'HELP' at the bottom of the page).

Location: 575 Broadway. Broadway, one block south of Houston St.

The Museum for African Art, founded in 1984, aims to increase the public's understanding and appreciation of the diversity and richness of African cultures. It educates through a variety of programs, including music and dance performances, storytelling series and film screenings.

The museum is one of the world's foremost publishers on the subject of African Art and publishes informative catalogues for its past and current exhibitions.
The museum has one of the best displays fo African art in the U.S. Exhibits change at least twice a year and feature decorative and cermonial art, costumes, masks and other artistic representations of culture.
The museum's interior was designed by acclaimed artist Maya Lin, who is perhaps most famous for her creation of the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial in Washington D.C.
At the museum shop, you can find an assortment of books, textiles, and crafts, all of which can be purchased for your pleasure.

Location: 593 Broadway, just north of Guggenheim.

The Lower East Side Tenemant Museum is located in an 1863 tenemant building, which was been designated a National Historic Landmark.

It stands as a powerful reminder of the challenges and hardships faced by millions of immigrants who came to America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After passing through Ellis Island, many of the new arrivals settled in the Lower East Side.

A renovation in 1997 will lead to the presentation of two new family apartments. The first is an eastern European Jewish family of 1918, and the second is a Sephardic Jewish family. The latter will host the museum's first "hands-on" apartment in which visitors can see what it would have been like to be a member of an immigrant family.
Location: 90 Orchard Street

On Broadway, the Alternative Museum specializes in avant garde works of art. It emphasizes socio-political consciousness and vision in art.

Location: 594 Broadway. Next to African Museum.

The Clocktower Gallery, just north of City Hall Park in Tribeca, is home to the Institution for Contemporary Art. You can still climb inside the tower itself, catch a view of downtown Manhattan and watch the workings of the clock that casts its glow over Broadway at night.

Location: 108 Leonard Street. 4 blocks south on Broadway from Canal, corner or Leonard and Broadway.

NY Earth Room is Walter de Maria's innovative 1977 gallery which features 140 tons of intricately sculpted soil.

Location: 141 Wooster Street. 1/2 block north on Wooster from Boome Street, heart of Soho.

Old St. Patrick's Cathedral, in Little Italy, was constructed in 1863 to replace the original building of 1809, which was destroyed by fire. In 1878, the archidocese moved uptown to St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Street.

Location: 263 Mulberry Street.

The Police Building, west of Mulberry on Center Street, is a gigantic structure that was built to house the police department in 1909. Today, underneath its impressive dome, some well-known celebrities and supermodels live in the building's luxury co-operative apartments.

Location: 240 Center Street. South of Kenmare St. Not open to public.

Parks & Open Spaces

Washington Market Park(Greenwich & Chambers Streets),in west Tribeca, is an ideal children's park - complete with a playground and sandbox. A great time to visit is during the evening concerts held on the bandstand during the summer. A large variety of farm-fresh foods can be found at the greenmarket, which takes place in front of the park on Greenwich Street several times a week.

Rollerblade, bike of simply stroll along the riverside on a paved path that continues from battery park all the way to 14th street in the West Village. Benches line the pathway and provide a cool respite from the hustle of the city. Street vendors park along the route, hoping to tempt the scores of rollerbladers with an ice cream or a lemonade.