New York, New York Vacation Rental Property - Mercer St SOHO

Coordinates: 40°43′29″N 74°00′00″W / 40.72472°N 74°W / 40.72472; -74

SoHo is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan in the United States. Prior to the mid-20th century, the area was known as Hell's Hundred Acres, and was described as an "industrial wasteland", busy with sweatshops and small factories in the daytime, but empty at night. Before that, it was an area with more bars and brothels than anywhere else in the city.[1] Artists began to move in to have large spaces in which they could both live and work, in what were called loft spaces. In 1968 artists and activists were forming an organization to legalize their living in a manufacturing zone. Seeking to identify their group geographically, they consulted a city Planning Commission map that described the area as "South of Houston", "Houston" being Houston Street. This was shortened to "SoHo", the group voted to call itself the SoHo Artists Association and the name for the neighborhood stuck.[2]

The neighborhood's association with the arts has expanded over time, and the area has become famous for destination shopping. It is an archetypal example of inner-city regeneration and gentrification, encompassing socio-economic, cultural, political and architectural developments.[3] It is also known as the Cast-Iron Historic District because of the many buildings incorporating cast iron architectural elements.
Geography: 

It is bounded roughly by Houston Street on the north, Lafayette Street on the east, Canal Street on the south, and West Broadway on the west.

Based on maps provided by the NYC Department of City Planning, SoHo's borders are most accurately drawn at Houston Street to the north and Canal Street to the south, Lafayette/Centre Streets to the east and West Broadway to the west, since SoHo's unique M1-5a/5b zoning delineate these boundaries. The SoHo Cast-Iron Historic District, as defined by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, is a bit narrower, only extending to the west side of Crosby Street, not as far east as Lafayette/Centre Streets, which the zoning and City Planning maps define SoHo as. The Landmarks Preservation Commission is currently considering a proposal by the Metropolitan Chapter of the Victorian Society to expand the SoHo Historic District to extend to most of the west side of Lafayette/Centre Streets, as well as incorporating most of the west side of West Broadway.[4]

Although the SoHo Alliance [1], Community Board 2,[5] and the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP)[6] declare that the western boundary of SoHo ends at West Broadway, some believe the area extends west to 6th Avenue. The neighborhood to the west of West Broadway has traditionally been called the South Village. In 2003, GVSHP published a well-researched study on the South Village culture, history and geography. In 2007, it submitted a proposal to the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission to designate the area between West Broadway and Sixth Avenue as the South Village Historic District.[7] In June 2009, the Landmarks Preservation Commission calendared a portion of the proposed district.[8] The South Village neighborhood was also still listed on Manhattan subway maps as recently as 1999. East of Lafayette Street is the northern part of Little Italy, now more commonly called Nolita.

It should be noted that Encyclopædia Britannica's 1956 article on "New York (City)" states that the southern border of Greenwich Village is Spring Street. If Britannica was correct in 1956, then SoHo has subsumed two blocks of the South Village’s traditional borders if Sixth Avenue (aka Avenue of the Americas) is taken as the western border of Soho. But since cast iron buildings stop at West Broadway there is ample evidence to suggest that SoHo's borders are those described in the paragraph above.

It is bounded roughly by Houston Street on the north, Lafayette Street on the east, Canal Street on the south, and West Broadway on the west.

Based on maps provided by the NYC Department of City Planning, SoHo's borders are most accurately drawn at Houston Street to the north and Canal Street to the south, Lafayette/Centre Streets to the east and West Broadway to the west, since SoHo's unique M1-5a/5b zoning delineate these boundaries. The SoHo Cast-Iron Historic District, as defined by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, is a bit narrower, only extending to the west side of Crosby Street, not as far east as Lafayette/Centre Streets, which the zoning and City Planning maps define SoHo as. The Landmarks Preservation Commission is currently considering a proposal by the Metropolitan Chapter of the Victorian Society to expand the SoHo Historic District to extend to most of the west side of Lafayette/Centre Streets, as well as incorporating most of the west side of West Broadway.[4]

Although the SoHo Alliance [1], Community Board 2,[5] and the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP)[6] declare that the western boundary of SoHo ends at West Broadway, some believe the area extends west to 6th Avenue. The neighborhood to the west of West Broadway has traditionally been called the South Village. In 2003, GVSHP published a well-researched study on the South Village culture, history and geography. In 2007, it submitted a proposal to the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission to designate the area between West Broadway and Sixth Avenue as the South Village Historic District.[7] In June 2009, the Landmarks Preservation Commission calendared a portion of the proposed district.[8] The South Village neighborhood was also still listed on Manhattan subway maps as recently as 1999. East of Lafayette Street is the northern part of Little Italy, now more commonly called Nolita.

It should be noted that Encyclopædia Britannica's 1956 article on "New York (City)" states that the southern border of Greenwich Village is Spring Street. If Britannica was correct in 1956, then SoHo has subsumed two blocks of the South Village’s traditional borders if Sixth Avenue (aka Avenue of the Americas) is taken as the western border of Soho. But since cast iron buildings stop at West Broadway there is ample evidence to suggest that SoHo's borders are those described in the paragraph above.