Soho’s lofts and the largest collection of cast-iron buildings in the world might not be around today, if it wasn’t for the protests and political fight of preservationists, architects, artists, historians, and other Soho residents. Working together in the mid-1960’s, they protested New York City’s attempts under Mayor Robert Wagner to carry out a decades-old plan for constructing a ‘Lower Manhattan Expressway’ (‘LoMEx’) as a thoroughfare for heavy traffic from the Holland Tunnel on the Hudson River to the Williamsberg Bridge on the East River.

The initial cost of LoMEx cost was estimated at $72 million. Of that, some $28 miilion was anticipated for assembling real estate parcels from private real estate owners via eminent domain — a legal process where the government takes private property for a ‘compelling’ public purpose.

Artists lived in Soho’s lofts illegally. The raw commercial lofts were cheap, spacious. Pressured on many sides, the city eventually gave up on attempting to keep all of the Cast Iron District as industrial space, and in 1973 Soho’s Cast Iron District was designated a historic district by New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The historic district is officially bounded by Houston Street, West Broadway, Canal Street and Crosby Street. It is noted for the elaborate cast-iron architecture of many of its buildings, most of which date from the late 19th century. These buildings originally housed warehouses and factories. It is also noted for its cobblestone streets, which have all recently been repaved with the exception of Wooster Street and part of Howard Street.

Artist Studios, Loft Apartments, and High-End Boutiques

After the city abandoned LoMEx, was still left with a large number of historic buildings that were unattractive for the kinds of manufacturing and commerce that survived in the city in the 1970s. Many of these buildings, especially the upper stories which became known as lofts, attracted artists who valued the spaces for their large areas, large windows admitting natural light and dirt-cheap rents. Most of these spaces were also used illegally as living space, being neither zoned nor equipped for residential use, but this was ignored for a long period because the occupants were using space that would probably have been dormant or abandoned in the poor economic conditions of the era.

One key figure in Soho’s renaissance is Tony Goldman, a visionary developer and CEO of Goldman Properties. Goldman purchased 18 Soho buildings in 1977. Perhaps one key to Goldman’s success is that he strives to maintain tradition, both philosophically and professional. “I always buy chai,” he told the New York Times. Chai is the Hebrew word for life, and something that he believes will “give him clout and the chance to make a lot of money if prices increase.” A key strategy of Goldman’s has been to seek unique, high-end commercial tenants that are boutiques or restaurants, or can infuse a lifestyle and ambience that will surround future residential re-development in the neighborhood.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission was established in 1965 when Mayor Robert Wagner signed the local law creating the Commission and giving it special power to oversee the preservation of historic and architecturally significant New York properties.

New York City’s Landmarks Law was also enacted in response to New Yorkers’ growing concern that important physical elements of the city's history were being lost. Events like the demolition of the architecturally distinguished Pennsylvania Station in 1963 and the preservation of Soho’s collection of cast iron buildings for commercial and residential purposes increased public awareness of a need to protect the city’s architectural, historical, and cultural heritage.

That is what initially happened in Soho. Unfortunately, a stroll down Broadway between beteeen Houston and Canal Streets shows that other Soho property owners have not all followed suit. Stores like Victoria’s Secret, the Gap, and Banana Republic have contributed to the ‘mall-ification’ of some Soho areas.