South of Greenwich Village and west of Little Italy, SoHo (which stands for South of Houston) is a relatively small area bounded roughly by Broadway, the Hudson River, Houston and Canal Streets. Together with NoLita (North Of Little Italy) its neighbor directly adjacent to the East of Broadway, they form a single community. Its trophy residential buildings are in the SoHo Cast Iron Historic District along West Broadway.
In the 1960s, artists started to move into this formerly industrial area looking for inexpensive and large studios and housing. By the early ’70s, the high number of artists living here led to the area’s renaissance—the large loft spaces were beautifully restored, real estate values soared, and demand for space “contaminated” to other “undiscovered” areas nearby. The incredible popularity of the area surprised the City and soon the chic boutiques and galleries that catered to the art crowd were followed by international designers like Chanel and Prada and high-end house-wares and furniture shops as well as well-known retailers from Barney’s Co-op, Top Shop, Apple store to DieselThe neighborhood is now known for its world-class shopping—on weekends it becomes a busy marketplace. But there are still sections of the neighborhood where you’ll find a relaxed atmosphere. Cobblestone streets, traditional restaurants, and European-Style coffee shops still delight local residents. The neighborhood’s artist-anchored culture is held in place by cutting-edge galleries like Deitch Projects and the annual Art Parade which brings out the most creative SoHo pioneers as well as young newcomers.